Paranoia at Silent Island
by AngelfishGirl
Summary: When Team Seven's plane crashes on a desert island, they must work together, and overcome sickness, weather, injuries, and limitations of food and water with the little supplies they have. Can the team survive? SasuSaku. A bit OOC. Sasuke gets hurt a lot.
1. Plummeting

Stranded

_Chapter 1: Plummeting_

_Please read what's in bold before reading the story if you want to keep this story going. ;)_

**Sorry about the email not working right away. Let me try it again!**

*****CHAPTER 1 WAS REVISED!*****

_**For your ideas (see below) email me at fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com (take out the spaces) reminds will be at the bottom of the page as well! :) Replace the (at) and take out the spaces! :D**_

**Just to tell everybody… this book moves on based on OTHER people's ideas. PM me, ****don't ****leave it in a review, what you think should happen in the next chapters. I have a few things planned out to happen throughout the chapters but I don't have enough. I plan to have the story drag on for over 30 chapters (I hope I can make it that far) Of course, I will state your name in the chapter for the idea(s) you give! If you recommend something, don't expect it to come right away. If I decide to use your idea it might not come until future chapters. **

**Rules:**

**No death. No humor. Random character can't just pop it out of nowhere. (Ex. They are about to get eaten by a wild cat when Tsunade suddenly pops in and kills the cat. Then she teleports them back home and…) No made up Jutsu. No OCs. Ideas must be your own ideas, if they aren't, please state your source. Both you and the source will be given credit. Near death situations are fine. Situations that could drag on throughout a ****few**** chapters are ok too. (Ex. Naruto falls down a waterfall and gets separated, and he can't find his way back for a week)**

**If I don't get enough good recommendations, and I can't think of anything, then I will use a chapter to alert you guys (Time: One week without a recommendation to use, OR recommendations will happen later in the story) and I'll simply stop writing. If I don't get one within the next month of using that tactic, and still haven't thought of anything, I will probably stop writing.**

**Anyways, enjoy! :D**

**Btw, this whole "Sasuke: Naruto: Sakura:" things was just in the beginning part. I probably won't even use it again unless the team is separated and things happen all at once.**

*****SasuSaku included in this book!*****

**Warning: Sasuke is OOC in this chapter.**

_**Sasuke:**_

Sasuke tried his best not to let out a petrified scream, while keeping calm at the same time. Impossible. He may have avoided screaming, but there's no way he could stay calm in this situation. They were going to crash, in the middle of the ocean, away from any major villages. If they didn't drown, they'd starve.

Sasuke shut his eyes painfully. Sweat trickled down his pale forehead, and he bit his tongue. He could barely think straight. _I'm going to die._ He thought in panic. Right beside his two teammates. No! He couldn't die! He had to protect himself, his teammates! But what could he do? He was in a plane about to crash in the ocean. He was sitting right behind Naruto and Sakura, who were sitting side by side. Thankfully, they were the only people on the plane. If they were going to die, they'd die alone. Kakashi wasn't even on the plane; their sensei would be able to train a new team of Genin.

It was painful- the dreadful truth that he couldn't do anything to save himself or his teammates.

_**Naruto:**_

Naruto had to let out a terrified shriek he couldn't hold, as the plane's nose titled down dangerously, pointing to the ocean blue water underneath them. He glanced around him quickly, spotting tears streaming down Sakura's cheeks. He looked back at Sasuke, noticing the strong Uchiha fighting back his screams of terror, his eyes closed shut tight. He closed his eyes tight and he prepared to die as well. "Naruto! Sakura!" He heard Sasuke scream. He immediately reached out and grabbed Sasuke's hand. Then grabbed Sakura's as the plane was only seconds away from crashing…

**Normal:**

Sasuke grit his teeth, and squeezed his eyes shut tight one final time. Sakura let out one last terrified shriek. Naruto buried his head in his hands while screaming.

The pilot had done a quick swerve, jerking everybody around painfully. Naruto had been able to stay onto his seat but Sasuke and Sakura both got blown back. Sasuke landed three seats from the very back, while Sakura only flew back two seats from where she was sitting.

They all felt another strong jerk as the nose dove into the water, but then jumped, and skidded onto something, saving them from sinking into the dark abyss below. Sasuke was thrown all the way to the back of the plane with the final force. Darkness swallowed everybody.

**Sakura:**

When Sakura woke up, before anything, she was met with a strong gust of wind that tugged at the wreck. She gasped, and looked around for her teammates. Naruto was still unconscious in front of her, but where was Sasuke?

She got up with minimum effort and leaped over to Naruto, roughly shaking him awake. "Wake up!" She hissed in his ear. Naruto was up instantly. His crystal eyes scanned around the wreck unfocused, obviously looking for something. "Where's Sasuke?" He asked, slightly dazed.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. He couldn't have gotten thrown out of the plane, could he?" She asked, glancing nervously at the huge hole in the metal top, which fell in the inside of the plane in the very back.

Naruto gasped, trying not to scream at the thought. He started trembling, and his dizzyness instant left him. The only thought circulating through his mind at the moment was Sasuke.

"What, Naruto?" She said, starting to feel nervous about Naruto's actions.

"Sasuke… he was thrown in the back of the plane, wasn't he?" This made Sakura gasp in surprise as the memory eased itself back into her mind. They both turned and darted towards the back. "Sasuke!" They both screamed.

**Normal:**

When they reached the massive metal slab, they first tried lifting it, not even checking to see if Sasuke was under it. It was way too heavy, even for the both of them together. It would take a lot more strength to even open lift it a little. If Sasuke was under there unconscious…

"Sasuke!" They both kept yelling, praying to hear him. It didn't matter how he responded, a scream, moan, whimper, or even sobbing would be enough to ease their heart. A crying, scared Sasuke is better than a dead Sasuke.

After five minutes of screaming in worry, and starting to believe that he would suffocate with a crushed airway or chest, they finally heard some sign from Sasuke that he was alive and conscious.

Tiny whimpers arose from under the thick sheet of metal. The sound Naruto and Sakura longed to hear finally hit their ear drums and gave them a flash of determination and hope.

"Sasuke!" Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

Naruto started feeling defensive. "Alright, Sasuke. I'm gonna bust you out of there!" He said, making the hand sign for Shadow Clones.

Instantly, about thirty Shadow Clones appeared beside Naruto. They all lifted the giant slab, revealing a bloody, beaten Sasuke on his stomach, eyes squeezed shut tight in pain and shaking scared. His head was twisted painfully to the side, and his throat was making strangle gurgling noises.

Sakura immediately reached underneath, grabbing Sasuke's bloody arm with one hand and grabbing him from under his armpit with the other, and pulled him out of from under the slab, pulling his frigid body into her arms. She held him close as his whimpering increased and he tensed. His trembling became uncontrollable. His wounds started to sting and he let out a soft yelp, almost like a dog. She watched sadly, at the once proud boy, shattering in her arms. One wrong move and Sasuke would mentally break.

"Shh… I got you." She whispered comfortingly in his ear. The clones dropped the metal slab, the disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Naruto ran over to Sasuke's shaking body. He touched Sasuke's arm, not realizing how freezing cold Sasuke was. He then rubbed it, trying to calm him down and at the same time warm him up.

Sasuke finally started relaxing his weak, tired body. Sakura gave him an even tighter hug. "Are you ok?" She asked him calmly. Sasuke gave her a small nod. His whimpers and trembling had stopped.

He blushed slightly at the awkward situation; he tried to stand up but he crumbled back down to the ground with a pained grunt. "Sasuke!" Naruto and Sakura both gasped. He had blood seeping from the side of his head, his right arm, left leg, and both ankles. There was also a deep cut on his forehead that he was extremely lucky that he hadn't died from. Another nearly fatal wound he had was a deep slash into his neck on the right side. It was worrisome, but Sakura could most likely take care of it.

His eyes rolled in the back of his head and his eyelashes fluttered as he lost consciousness to the pain and mental stress. Sakura sighed as Naruto picked him up in his arms. He held him close, ensuring safety to the moaning Uchiha, as they ran to the front of the plane. Inside the cockpit, the pilot was lying on the ground dead. Sakura and Naruto both turned away at the gruesome sight of all the blood. The pilot had saved their lives and took his own to do so.

Naruto blinked a few times to shake off the picture, then turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke would for surely be dead, and most likely Sakura and himself too.

"Let's go." Sakura whispered to Naruto, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. He nodded and rushed out to the door. When they got outside, they were all greeted by a blast of wind, dangerously tilting the plane to the side, sending Sakura and Naruto crashing backwards. As they scrambled back to their feet, Sakura noticed a medical bag, and reached up, snagging it by the small handle before charging outside the beach behind Naruto.

They were able to keep their footing, but only when using Chakra. If they didn't use enough they would stumble to the ground and get blown backwards. The sand stung their eyes but they pressed on. Step after step.

_A tropical storm now of all times?_ Sakura thought, annoyed as more sand blew into her eyes. Sasuke trembled in Naruto's grip, while Sakura tried to ignore the stinging. Naruto was so determined to get Sasuke to safety he didn't even feel the pain.

Through the skin tone sand that wisped around with the strong wind currents, Naruto and Sakura could just make out a huge forest in front of them. Best of all, when Naruto and Sakura started heading for the safety of the green nature, the wind was with them, giving them an extra burst of speed. Sakura had tripped, but Naruto had actually fallen down, launching Sasuke a few feet ahead of him.

He quickly grabbed his teammate, who started getting blown towards him by the wind, and cradled him against his chest as he continued running.

Once a few yards inside the lush forest, the sand was shielded just enough for Naruto and Sakura to be able to squint and look for some place to stay where they would be shielded completely from the tropical storm.

Sakura spotted a tree with the roots lifted from the ground, but yet stable. She could've sworn it made her feel like she was in the Forest of Death again, only with Naruto conscious and carrying Sasuke. She signaled to Naruto, who nodded quickly and they both scurried into the shelter. It was against the wind, so no sand blew in.

They quickly positioned Sasuke inside the tree so he was still blocked even if the wind started blowing from the other side. If that were to happen, a tornado would most likely strike the island.

They could hear the crashing waves, and leaves blowing around wildly within the tree roots, and even a big rock that was standing near the tree had fallen over. It was so big, it couldn't have been moved with the whole team plus Kakashi trying to lift it.

Naruto settled down next to Sasuke, curling up in a tight ball. Sakura stayed sitting by Sasuke's feet, staying alert in case something were to happen and they had to evacuate the tree.

Nobody knew how long it was until the winds died down. Sasuke slipped in and out of consciousness the whole time. It must've happened at least eleven times. He'd be awake but delirious the whole time, then a minute later he'd slip away from the team's grasp on his awareness. Naruto had fallen asleep about two hours after they had found shelter, and Sakura had uneasily fallen asleep awhile after Naruto; she had gotten too tired to keep her eyes open.

The morning came to everybody in silence. No birds chirped, no leaves rustled, no waves lapped. That's what Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had awoken to. It was almost like death. Nothing.

Naruto was the first person up that morning, and when he had peeked outside a mere two feet from the tree, he jumped as he heard the first sound he had heard since he had woken up- Sasuke's groan as he slowly roused. Naruto walked back inside the tree, sitting down next to Sasuke as he turned to his side, now facing Naruto. His eyebrows furrowed, and he blinked open his eyes.

He resisted the urge to vomit; the last thing he remembered was feeling a jerk, then something warm and comforting pulling him close. **(A/N Sakura grabbing him from under the metal slab)**

"Hey." Naruto spoke softly, to both keep the atmosphere calm for Sasuke, and not to wake up Sakura.

"Hey." He whispered back, his voice even softer than Naruto's.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked. "You had a pretty rough night. All of us did. But you were more shaken up then us."

Sasuke moaned again, rubbing his eyes with one hand, and grasping his neck with his other hand.

"Neck hurt?" Naruto asked him.

"Hn." Was all he got. _Once again, Naruto plays the role of captain obvious._ Sasuke thought inwardly, his eyes narrowed down.

"Yea, it's going to hurt for awhile. You were the only person injured in the plane crash, except the pilot. He… died." Naruto said sadly.

Sasuke looked at Naruto then closed his eyes and sighed. _So the pilot died for our sake._ He thought. He opened his eyes again.

"Naruto?" He said. "Hm? What is it Sasuke?" He asked.

"How long until these wounds heal? And where are all the spots I am injured? Where are we?" He asked. He could barely lift his head up, the neck wound would seem to sizzle in pain.

"You'd have to ask Sakura about that. I'm no medic. And for the places you're wounded, well let's see… the side of your head is one." Sasuke nodded, already aware of the bandages going around his head. "Those bandages are also for the nasty forehead wound you have."

There was a wound Sasuke wasn't aware of. Sakura must have given him some kind of medicine to soothe the pain so he didn't feel it when he woke up.

"You have a nearly fatal gash on your neck, the right side. It's pretty bad, Sasuke. An inch deeper and you would've died before we had rescued you." Sasuke was puzzled. Rescue?

"Your right arm, left leg, both ankles..." He continued. Sasuke didn't notice those either. He moaned, not wanting to see what his body looked like wrapped up in so many bandages. If Sakura had given him medication, he probably most likely looked mummy.

"Oh yea, and you're stomach and chest might be extremely sore. Remember that metal slab that you had on top of you? That took a TON of Shadow Clones to lift that and get you out, it was pretty heavy, and it had nearly flattened you until you would've looked like a pancake!" Naruto exasperated, laughing at his own joke. It was then Sasuke remembered what exactly happened. The flood of memories came rushing to his head. Waking up to suffocation, his teammate's screaming for him, the air rushing back to his lungs, Sakura pulling him close, him being scared to death, and then his teammate's comforting him into a calm sleep.

Sasuke blushed and rolled his eyes, was _that_ why he found it hard to breathe? Or was it because of the slash on his neck? Either way, he wasn't in any condition to move. Not for awhile.

They we're both interrupted by shuffling, and a yawn emitted from Sakura. She sat up, rubbing one of her eyes, while looking at the two boys with her other. Naruto immediately blushed. "Morning Sakura." He said shyly. Sakura nodded to him, "Morning. I see Sasuke's awake!" She said in a much cheerful tone, making Naruto slump down with a sigh.

Sasuke nodded, grimacing in pain. His neck wound was really starting to hurt.

Sakura looked troubled. "Are those wounds still hurting you? I tried to relieve the pain with medicine but I guess it can't help as much as I thought it would." She said disappointingly.

"Sakura, don't you have a medicine that can take away the pain completely in there?" Naruto asked, pointing at the medical bag.

"If I did, I would use it Naruto! It's not like the bag can keep anesthesia in it!" She hollered at him.

Naruto sighed impatiently, watching Sakura examine Sasuke's wounds. Sasuke displayed many emotions. Sometimes, he'd sigh in comfort. Other times, he'd grunt, gasp, or even yell out in pain. Naruto decided to go see if the plane was still there.

**End of chapter 1.**

**Yea, no cliff hanger in this chapter. Whoop-Dee-Doo. **

*****NOTE!*** THIS STORY WILL NOT BE UPDATED AS QUICK AS MY OTHER BOOKS!!!! Normally, my books would on average my books would be updated from around 1-4 days. This book will NOTE be updated as fast, and will probably average from 1-14 days. I won't make you wait too long tho! ;)**

**If I don't update after 2 weeks, PLEASE PM AND EMAIL ME AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO GET ME STARTED!!! The chances are really low that that'll happen but there is always the chance! My email: gmail . com**

**Note: Chapters normally won't be this long. I guess the length will flex around a little, but this is longer to get the story started. Don't forget to review, and ****PM**** me the ideas, don't put them in a review. Ok? ;)**

**You're idea will be displayed by your penname/anonymous name. If you want to be called something else, tell me that. Also, don't forget to give sources if you found your idea from one. You'll still be given credit. Adios, Sayonara, Bye!! **

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*****If you are an anonymous reader giving ideas, email me at fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com (take out the spaces)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**

**Review and tell me what you think!**

**Reminder: email for ideas/complaints/compliments: fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com (remove spaces/replace at with swirly 'a' on the two button. It won't let me type it! Dx)**


	2. Recovering

_Chapter 2: Recovering_

**Ok, people may not have read the first A/N note because it was so long. Here's a shorter version:  
This book moves on by people's ideas. I don't have enough things to happen. Therefore, contact me via email for all your ideas (full details on first page)**

**I decided that this book won't go based off days btw. Just events**

**Email: (at) Gmail . com (remove spaces and the (at))**

**Enjoy chapter 2! ;)**

**Btw, I forgot to tell you that this is before Shippuden, but after Naruto got rasengan. Sasuke isn't evil in this book, but he does have the curse mark.**

**This chapter is REALLY long… (aprrox. 5,193 words in just this chapter!! That's almost as much as my chapter book!!) O_o**

**...And the entertainment isn't until the end. -_-'**

**Recall:**

_Naruto sighed impatiently, watching Sakura examine Sasuke's wounds. Sasuke displayed many emotions. Sometimes, he'd sigh in comfort. Other times, he'd grunt, gasp, or even yell out in pain. Naruto decided to go see if the plane was still there._

**Story:**

After telling Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto ambled out to the wreck, hoping to see some usable items that may not have been blown away. Thankfully, the plane was still there, but some of the parts, such as the wings, for example, were in pieces. Naruto looked around, finding his team's entire luggage scattered around. He found his suitcase first, then Sakura's, then Sasuke's.

Miraculously, none of their luggage was damaged, so all of their clothing, and any other important items of theirs were still there with them.

Naruto used a shadow clone to help carry the luggage back to the tree his teammates were currently. He walked in the tree, taking note of Sakura messing with some grass and something that looked like smashed berries, and Sasuke still in the corner, once again in a silent sleep. Naruto gave her a small nod when she looked up at him; he set the luggage down, and sauntered back out to the plane wreck, unaware of Sakura abandoning what she was doing to shuffle through her own luggage to see if everything was still there.

When Naruto got back to the plane, he took one step into the plane, making sure it was sturdy enough. Then, he put his other foot in, putting all of his weight into the doorway. The plane didn't move, so he figured that the metal was still sturdy enough to be walked on. Everything was a wreck inside, sand soaked from the ocean water was sprawled across the floor. Holes were literally blasted through the walls. Not very big, but at the same time they weren't so small that they were unnoticeable. They were each about the size of a half dollar, and there was about six or seven on the side that the wind blew on it the hardest.

Naruto glanced around, but couldn't find anything in particular that was usable. Next, he went to the cock pit, where the dead pilot was still lying. Naruto avoided the corpse with a disturbed look on his face, carefully making his way over to the torn up faded blue seat.

There, he found a few things, but one stuck out to him the most. It was a small paper, and on the folded paper, he found two bolded words on the visible side: **Survival Instructions**

Naruto snatched the paper and quickly unfolded it, reading its contents.

_Stay put. Don't try to run around blindly in an unknown location. You don't know what's out there._

_Don't eat any unknown plants or animals. If you are unsure, of what is eatable and what isn't, find the book in the survival kit that contains full explanations. The most efficient food you can get is fish. Before eating any fish, make sure that you read the survival kit and prepare them properly._

_Don't drink any salt water, or any water that wasn't boiled. Salt water will dehydrate you more, and water that isn't boiled can result in fatal sicknesses. The most efficient way to get fresh water is to dig a hole in a shady area until you find water. Take a small sip to test it, but boil first._

_Make sure you are visual to others. The most important thing is to be as abnormal to your surroundings as possible. That makes it so others can see you easier. If you are in a forest, try flapping a bright orange sweat shirt in the air. Whatever it takes to make you visible to others._

_Make a campfire, set up a sturdy fort. You can't make a teepee with sticks and expect it to be of any use to you. You need to use your creative thinking and make a shelter that can protect you from weather, and can hold all of your items. Try to make it large and abnormal so it catches people's attention._

_Don't hold back destroying things. Don't be afraid to take down a tree, or anything else. Even if it's a rundown house that's abandoned, take everything you can. Nobody will be mad at you for trying to live._

Naruto finished reading the list, then sighed. **(A/N sorry if this isn't an accurate survival list. It's the best that I could come up with. Might be updated later)**

_So much stuff!_ Naruto thought in annoyance. He glanced over to where he found the paper, and immediately found the survival kit.

He grabbed it and zipped the red back open, looking at its contents:

Two black notebooks, a pack of matches, a folded up tan book bag, the book that contained the complete list of eatable plants and animals in various locations, another small medical bag, a pair of gloves, a hat, a metal box that contained multiple packs of crackers (10 packs, with 3 crackers in each), an extra kunai, a blanket, a pillow, a fishing pole that could be broken into pieces and reassembled, a mirror that miraculously wasn't broken, three combs **(A/N just consider it "luck" I didn't feel like making them share a brush. Eww! :P)**, a pot, and a giant tarp.

Naruto shut the bag and eyed the ground where he found it. He gasped at what he saw- a whole pack of water bottles. Written on it in sharpie was "emergency water only" and Naruto knew it went with the survival kit. Naruto grabbed everything and quickly dashed back to the tree that they were staying in.

"Sakura!" He called out to her as he was only a few feet from the entrance. Sakura walked out from the tree and glared at him.

"Naruto! You're going to wake up Sasuke!" She said in a much quieter voice, her emerald eyes shooting daggers at Naruto. She looked at what he was carrying.

"What is that?" She asked him.

Naruto eyes glowed. "A survival kit! It had a bunch of stuff that will help us until we're rescued!"

Sakura gasped, and helped Naruto set the stuff on the soft dirt. She then read the survival instructions; taking note of everything it told her. She then went through the survival kit and looked at everything it contained.

"This stuff's really going to help us! We're going to have to eat these crackers this morning until we can find a place with fresh water to cook fish. These water bottles with have to do until we find some." Sakura said. Naruto nodded to her, glancing over to the tree.

"How's Sasuke?" He whispered softly to Sakura, watching her carefully examine everything in the bag, obviously thinking of where to store everything until they can find the materials and a place to build the shelter. She glanced up at him.

"He's still sleeping. I've treated his wounds the best I could, some are mostly healed up, while others pretty worrisome, and I can't heal them completely. The slash on the right side of his neck will have to be closely monitored, and the forehead wound will be there for a few days until my Medical Jutsu can erase the scar. His right arm will have to be monitored as well just to be sure that the wound doesn't reopen. Besides that, everything else was healed up pretty good. I was even able to heal his chest and stomach so it isn't so hard for him to breathe. That metal slab had nearly closed his airway, and he still found it harder to breathe. I was able to cure that, thankfully."

Naruto sighed. "That's good." He half whispered. Sakura nodded. "His body is pretty dehydrated right now; I'm going to go give him some water." She told Naruto. Before Naruto could say anything, she was walking away water bottle in hand over to Sasuke. He gave a small sigh, then followed her inside. He glanced inside, and saw Sakura gently shaking Sasuke awake. Then once he woke up, she gave Sasuke some water from the water bottle, whispering something inaudible to Naruto. Most likely everything he had found on the plane.

Naruto walked inside and sat down against the trunk of the tree, his eyes glancing back mindlessly to Sasuke and Sakura. He couldn't help thinking about when they'd be rescued. _If_ they'd be rescued. It made a shiver run down Naruto's spine, and he bit his tongue to try and stop.

_We'll be rescued in no time._ He thought confidently, letting his body relax against the brown bark pressed against his back. He closed his eyes, attempting to rest.

"Naruto." Sakura said. Naruto didn't feel like talking, so he didn't respond to her.

"_Naruto_." She said again in a much more annoyed tone, clearly she wanted him to answer.

"What?" Naruto mumbled into his sleeve. "Leave me alone." He whispered, getting annoyed back at her.

"Naruto, we need to know what to do with all of our stuff. We have no safe place to put it."

"Build a shelter." Naruto mumbled, making Sakura sigh in irritation.

"And how do you expect to do that without Sasuke's help?" She asked.

Naruto shrugged, "Can I sleep yet?"

"No. Also, we need to save those matches, so how are we going to cook fish, or boil water with Sasuke in this condition?"

Naruto moaned. "I don't know, Sakura. Let me sleep." He sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"Exactly, my point is, we need to get our supplies figured out. We'll need to heal Sasuke up as fast as we can so he can help us with everything. You're job is going to be to help me heal him up as fast as possible. Alright?" She asked him.

He nodded slightly, "Only if I can sleep for awhile." He mumbled.

"Fine. 15 minutes." Sakura growled, turning around to take care of Sasuke. Naruto fell asleep immediately.

Naruto woke up to what seemed like two minutes later to Sasuke moaning. He blinked open his eyes, frustrated, to see Sasuke turning his head away from Sakura and mumbling something incomprehensible and Sakura looking at him with worried eyes.

"Naruto. Naps over. Come help me. And hurry." Sakura said sternly.

"I only got a few minutes." He grumbled. Sakura glared at him.

"You've been asleep for two hours. Come on, Sasuke's gotten a fever."

"What?" Naruto said, opening his eyes fully to look at his teammate. He could tell what thing, Sasuke was sweating badly, and he was definitely a lot paler than he normally was. He mumbled something to nobody in particular again. The white cool cloth that had substituted his headband slide off his forehead. He moaned again and curled into a loose ball.

Sakura quickly retrieved the rag and set it back on his forehead, keeping her hand in place to prevent it from falling again. This brought Sasuke discomfort as he tried to turn his head again, avoiding the pressure on his already pounding head.

"Stay still Sasuke." Sakura spoke softly, taking the blanket and draping it over his body. Sasuke tried to squirm out of the blanket, which Sakura had taken out of the survival kit. "Dn't… to... hot…" He muttered, squeezing his eyes shut and turning. He was now facing Sakura.

"I know Sasuke, but you have to. You need to sweat to keep your fever down." She said, and then she grabbed a water bottle that only had half of its contents remaining.

"Please drink." She half whispered. "You can't get dehydrated." Weakly, Sasuke sat up and drank some of the water, very reluctant to receive help from Sakura. Either way, he knew that he didn't have a choice in his situation.

Sakura grabbed the watching Naruto by the arm and pulled him outside into the bright sunlight that warmed their skin.

"Naruto. I need you to go find a shaded area and start digging 'till you hit water. Take a tiny sip. If its ocean water, find somewhere else to dig but if it's fresh water, fill it up with the pan and bring it back here. We'll have to see if Sasuke can find the strength to use a fire ball jutsu, or we'll have no choice but to use a match." Sakura told Naruto very concisely. He nodded to her, and grabbed the pot that they had found, dashing off into the woods.

"Don't get lost!" Sakura yelled back to him before sighing and walking back into the tree roots. She sat down by Sasuke, who had curled up on his side and had fallen into a light sleep. Sakura brushed the bangs out of his face and rewet the rag with the same water bottle. It was almost empty, Sakura would need a new one soon unless Naruto came back quickly with the water.

_I know this fever must be from these wounds he got, but I don't know how long it'll last._ She thought, glancing up and down Sasuke's shaking body, as if searching for a lost answer.

Sasuke coughed roughly, murmuring in his sleep like a child. He pulled his arms and legs up closer to his chest, but he wasn't scrunched up in a tight ball.

More violent coughs racked Sasuke's feverish body, and when they finally settled, Sasuke's eyes opened.

"Sak'ra…" He whispered, closing his eyes again. Sakura looked at his face worryingly.

_Come on Naruto, hurry up with that water!_

**Naruto**

"This place is pretty shaded from the tree, I'll try here." Naruto said with a smile. He formed a hand sign.

"Shadow clone justu!" He said, instantly forming multiple shadow clones. Instantly, they all started digging into the ground in one area creating a small hole that got bigger and bigger until it was large and deep. The real Naruto spotted water, and he instantly set a foot into the two foot drop and dipped his hands in the water, drinking a small sip as instructed.

"Nasty!" Naruto yelled, spitting the water out.

"Bleh… definitely ocean water." He muttered, sticking his tongue out. He turned to look at all his clones  
"Alright everybody! In groups of two, go find some shady areas to go get some water! Disappear when you find the location so I can tell where you are!" The real Naruto called.

"Alright!" The other Narutos called out back to him, scurrying away like cockroaches.

Naruto sighed and leaned up against the tree, patiently waiting. It was about three minutes later when click went off in his head. A clone had found some fresh water. Instantly trailing the path the clone took in his head, he dashed off into that spot, pot in hand. It was an easy route, a dirt path already lead to it. Even when the dirt split to tall grass, it was already brushed off to the side, yet there were no signs of life on this island. Not on the side they were on, at least. Who knew if there was other life on the island.

Naruto scooped up water into the pot, and raced back to the tree his teammates were staying in. As he ran back carefully he wondered how they'd drink it. He wasn't about to share Sasuke's empty water bottle. He could possible get sick himself.

_Maybe… coconuts?_ He wondered. He glanced around for a coconut tree, but there wasn't any around. Sighing, he decided he'd take the water back to camp then he'd search out for another coconut tree. Another small click went off in his head, and he realized it was another clone. They found another fresh water hole. Tracing the path, he made sure to remember the second path. But something else caught his attention. Not only was it close to the tree, and supplying a lot of water, but it had a coconut tree right above it!

Naruto gasped, it was only about two minutes away from the campsite. Once he was close enough, he quickly changed position. It was only a few steps away when he found the water.

It was much bigger than up close than what he registered in his mind, and the water looked more pure here than the other place, even though they both came from the ground. He wasn't about to waste precious water, so he gently set down the water he originally had, and took three kunai in his hands. With excellent aim, he knocked down three coconuts.

Swiftly, he picked everything up in his arms, and turned around and dashed back to his teammates, leaving his kunai knives high in the tree so he could see them from above the tall grass that surrounded it.

**Sasuke and Sakura**

Sakura zipped open the medical bag, shuffling around through it to find something to get rid of his fever. She knew that the fever medicine was vital, but Sasuke's fever wasn't about to lower, and it was already pretty high. As she dug through the bag, she was relieved to find that there was two bottles of it.

Flipping open the bottle cap, she gave took two plain white pills in her hand, and she slowly screwed the cap back on. She slowly crawled over to where Sasuke was shivering, and lying in own pool of sweat. She grabbed the rag and carefully wiped the sweat from his face, also attempting to wake him up a little. Her attempt worked, and his eyes slowly opened halfway to look at her blurry outline.

"S…kra…" He murmured, squeezing his eyes shut and the light behind her and turning his head the other way. He curled into another ball and let out an unintentional moan.

"Here Sasuke, take this. It's medicine to help your fever." She told him, her voice filled with concern.

He honestly didn't think he'd be able to stomach anything without vomiting it back up, but once Sakura put the pill to his mouth and he managed to open his mouth after a few seconds, and swallow it with some water, he realized that he needed to eat _something._ He sighed, and snuggled his head into the pillow, closing his eyes and falling into another uneasy sleep.

Sakura decided to leave him alone, and let the medicine do its thing. Reading the label, it was supposed to kick in around twenty minutes. Sakura brushed the hair out of his eyes, feeling like more of a mother than a teammate to Sasuke. She finally sat back, watching his sleeping form, longing for him to be able to be free from the pain the tormenting fever was bringing him.

She gasped as she heard a strange loud shuffling noise, like a bear reaching through tree leaves in attempt to swipe some fruit into its muscular paws. She grabbed a kunai and turned around in an aggressive position to scare off whatever was lurking in the tall grass around her, but she let herself relax when she realized it was only Naruto coming back, three ripe coconuts and a pot of unclean water in his hands.

**Team 7**

"Sakura! I found two fresh water spots and a coconut tree! We can drink the coconut milk, and use it for cups!" He said with a large grin on his face that Sakura would find disturbing in any other situation but this one.

She nodded. "Alright, we need to start a fire. You make a fire pit, while I wake up Sasuke and see if he can manage a fireball jutsu." Sakura told him. Naruto returned the nod, adding a confident smile to top it off.

"No problem Sakura!" He said. He quickly ran inside quietly so he wouldn't wake his partner, and then turned and dashed into the tall grass in search of things to start a fire.

Sakura walked inside the tree, stretching her body before ambling over to Sasuke, who was trembling softly and breathing awkwardly seeing as the fever was making him uncomfortable. Sakura felt bad for waking him but she knew that it was important to start a fire, and use as less materials as possible in order to stay alive.

As she bent down, Naruto came rushing back in carrying tons of black pebbles. He quickly built a circle the size of a normal campfire fire pit would be, then he turned and dashed out, not once glancing at his teammates.

Sakura blinked once, then turned back to Sasuke. She wiped more of the endless sweat pouring down his face, then put a gentle hand on his shoulder, slowly edging him out of his sleeping state.

"Sasuke." She whispered. Sasuke's eyes fluttered open as he moaned and turned his head to face her. He had fully opened his eyes this time, hinting that the medicine had started to work quicker than expected. Before anything, Sakura asked him simple questions before. She didn't want to tell him straight away in case he still couldn't manage a fireball jutsu. She didn't want him to feel like he was worthless.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, playing the role of captain obvious. Sasuke would've replied with some witty sarcastic response if he wasn't feeling so sick, so instead he just grunted.

"Fine." He finally spoke, knowing he needed to speak. He hated being so weak in front of his teammates, and what's worse, he couldn't remember half of what happened while being sick. What did he say? What did he do? Questions rung in his mind.

Sakura handed him water. "You should keep yourself hydrated. You're sweating really badly." Sasuke tried his best to shoot her a glare to try to show her that he could take care of himself, but sighed in defeat. He knew his glare didn't look as menacing as it was supposed to, he could _feel_ it. He was just too sick to argue. Reluctantly, he took the water bottle, drinking the last of its contents.

Sakura figured that by this point, he just _may_ be able to use jutsu. Not something as powerful as chidori, but a fireball jutsu might work.

Just as Sakura was about to ask, Naruto came dashing into the tree, he first set wimpy twigs down on the ground, then he piled it with some tall grass that he had tore into tiny pieces. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke, expecting to either see Sasuke stand or Sakura light a match. Sakura sighed and turned to Sasuke.

"What do you think? Do you think you can manage a fireball jutsu? We have matches if you can't." Sakura asked him. Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily, gathering up chakra to see if he could manage a fireball jutsu. He opened his eyes again and nodded, breaking Sakura's odd concerned straight face into a smile. He slowly got to his knees, then his feet. Fingers bending, absent minded thoughts racing, Sasuke instantly blew out a ball of fire, scorching the dry grass and twigs with fire. Naruto grinned as the fire died down to one simple flame that would serve as their fire for the rest of the night. He walked outside, going to gather some more wood, only bigger logs.

Sakura grabbed Sasuke's blanket and moved it closer to the fire, but not too close so he wouldn't get too hot. Sakura looked at Sasuke, silently asking him to lie down closer to the fire. Sasuke was honestly burning up enough, but he obliged and lied down, immediately feeling the unwanted heat pound against his skin.

He turned so he was facing Sakura, and away from the fire. He certainly _wasn't_ comfortable. No pillow. Nothing to lie on. Nothing that seemed to make him feel better except the cool cloth lying dormant on his forehead. He had no idea how it was still clinging to his forehead since he was turned on his side, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting rid of the worthless headache and feeling that refused to leave his body. He felt tired, but he didn't want to sleep. He had done enough sleeping. It was time to start paying attention to everything that was going on.

But of course, Sakura thought differently.

"Sasuke, why don't you sleep for awhile?" She suggested. Sasuke shook his head.

"I've slept enough." He said emotionlessly. Sakura sighed.

"You're sick Sasuke, you need rest. I know you probably prefer staying awake and getting the details about what's happening, but you will find out soon enough. Right now, the most important thing is for you to rest." Without warning, she lifted his upper body and pulled his head into her lap.

"Sakura…" He growled angrily, but Sakura wasn't in the least bit worried.

"Just sleep, Sasuke." She said softly. Sasuke turned his head away so he wasn't facing her stomach, but the crackling fire. The flames provided him with something to fix his eyes on.

"Just sleep." She whispered again, making her voice more silent every time she spoke. This time, Sasuke didn't respond, but remained fixated on fire. Still, he made no move to close his eyes. Sakura could see the tiredness in them, however, and she knew that if she kept talking the way she did, he would eventually fall asleep, no matter how reluctant he is. She brushed the bangs out of his face, her soft fingertips sliding gently across his skin.

"Just sleep." She repeated in her hushed tone. The voice was like a metronome to Sasuke, repeating over and over. His eyes still remained fixated on the fire, almost like he was hypnotized. In a way, he was. Sasuke felt unusually relaxed in her arms, and he felt like he was only half conscious. His eyelids started feeling heavy but they didn't slide down an inch.

"Just sleep." Sakura continued, her voice softer than before. Sasuke could feel himself getting more and more tired with every word she said. No matter how desperately he tried to shake off the feeling, he couldn't pull himself out of the trance she had calmed him into. She knew one or two more would be all he would hear before he would fall asleep. He sleepily lifted his head, turning to look at her, but she pulled him close to her chest in a comfortable position.

"Just sleep." She repeated, stroking his hair lovingly. His eyelids started to close. "Sakura…" He murmured, but made no attempt to finish his sleepy sentence. He gave a calmed sigh, positioning his head comfortably. _One more. _Sakura thought. She bent down closer to his ear.

"Just sleep." She murmured, and she watched as his heavy eyes finally closed. His head fell forward and she used her left hand to hold his forehead and roll it around in a circular motion. **(A/N this is a way to bring somebody into a deeper and more relaxed sleep) **After she did that for about a minute, she noticed Naruto walk in silently, watching her with curiosity. After about a minute of rotating Sasuke's head in a soothing motion, she lied him back down and covered him back up with his blanket. She didn't hesitate before saying one last thing to lull him into a deeper sleep. She leaned in close to his ear, whispering the words that comforted him more than anything she had ever heard.

"_just sleep."_

**End.**

**Hey guys sorry this chapter was so long and boring ._.**

**The problem is when you have a book like this where people are stranded on an island, you need to take a chapter or two to give off the resources they have. You wouldn't want me randomly saying "Oh yea, and they found water somewhere around chapter 2" that would be stupid, and make my story pointless.**

**I tried to make it interesting at the end, which resulted in adding EXTRA pages to the already LONG chapter.**

**But! I promise! Now that the boring, stuff is over, we can finally get into the book!**

**END OF BORINGNESS! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Reviews are crack to me! :3**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	3. Starting from Scratch

Chapter 3: Starting from Scratch

**Now that we're done with all the stupid worthless stuff… the story can officially start!**

**I decided that this book won't go by days… sorry guys**

*****WARNING*** I haven't gotten any ideas emailed to me yet… and I'm running out of ideas.**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com is the email. DO NOT LEAVE IT IN A REVIEW!**

_Paranoia at Silent Island- Chapter 3: Starting from Scratch_

_Recall:_

_She didn't hesitate before saying one last thing to lull him into a deeper sleep. She leaned in close to his ear, whispering the words that comforted him more than anything she had ever heard._

"_just sleep."_

_Story:_

Sakura watched silently as Naruto released his tight grasp on three larger sized sticks into the fire, and kept about five more in the shady corner of the tree roots for when the fire started to die. A dying fire. That's what the whole team would contain inside of them if they weren't rescued in time, and there would be no gust of wind, no extra wood to rebuild the frail flames that they would be reduced to. Becoming the cooling ashes on the lifeless dirt was what destiny seemed to choose fitting for the team's ending. Nothingness. Fire was the perfect way to describe what they would become remaining stranded on the isolated death spot identified as Silent Island.

Sakura carefully split open two of the three coconuts, handing one to Naruto, and sipping the coconut milk from her own. The last one meant for Sasuke was laid carefully at her side, saved for when the young Uchiha's sickness left his young body. Sakura's glowing eyes hovered from the top of the split coconut to Sasuke's sleeping form. His head was rolled to the side, facing the burning fire. His softly closed eyes and unusually pale face seemed livelier than anywhere else on his illness infected body. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, but his eyes did not open. Sakura smiled and slowly stood up, striding towards him and sitting down next to the young brunette.

"Sasuke…" She whispered silently, making sure not to wake him from the sleep she had lulled him into with her hypnotic-like speaking. She stroked his hair delicately, making him roll onto his side. He was now unconsciously facing Sakura. The crackling flames of the fire that once illuminated his handsome **(A/N handsome..? SEXY!!)** face, now dulled back to normal. She kept her tender gaze on his face while her fingers gently entangled in his locks. Her eyes widened in surprise when his eyes opened halfway, giving a soft sigh.

"Sasuke I…" She was about to apologize for waking him but immediately stopped her sentence halfway. His slit eyes slid shut once again, his eyelids meeting together, and his eyelashes flickered slightly before coming together and not separating again.

_Did he even wake up? _Sakura wondered, restarting her stroking to see if anything changed. Sasuke gave another deep sigh but his black eyes never opened again.

_I must have just surprised him in his sleep. Guess I shouldn't do that while he's sleeping._ Sakura thought, a little embarrassed and guilty. She glanced back to see what Naruto was doing, and realized he had fallen asleep on the smooth dirt below him.

She glanced up at the sky, not realizing how late it was until then. After throwing a few more logs on the fire, she gave a small sigh, and lied down next to Sasuke, pulling up close to him, getting under the covers that Sasuke hadn't cocooned himself with while tossing and turning. As if perceiving her presence, he senselessly shifted his body, loosening up the covers that had enveloped him in warmth. But he was still in too deep of sleep to notice her presence. Surprised, Sakura wrapped herself in the extra warmth Sasuke had unconsciously given her. Due to only having one blanket, Sakura found it slightly awkward how close she was to a boy. To Sasuke. She blushed slightly at the situation, but at the same time she felt happy. She loved Sasuke, and now she was taking care of him. She was only giving him the comfort any teammate should give to the others.

Sasuke turned fully back onto his side, exactly how he laid before he gave up some of the blanket to Sakura. Sakura's eyes lifted up to look at Sasuke's closed ones. The young Uchiha's mouth was slightly opened, and his eyes rested so lightly, he looked like a child.

Slowly, his eyes opened halfway. Unfocused black staring off into space. Sakura still couldn't tell if Sasuke was awake or not. He could still be sleeping, and unfocused eyes was one sign.

"Sasuke? You awake?" She whispered as quietly as she did when she had lulled Sasuke into his sleep. Sasuke's eyes, now almost completely open, shifted from his gaze into nothingness to her glowing emerald green eyes that shimmered with the crackling fire.

"Yes." He whispered ever so softly, as if he were to talk, his voice would forever fade into the morning mist that densely surrounded the island when the first pair of eyes opened for the day. His voice wasn't quite as rough as it sounded when the fever was at its thriving point. "Why are you so… close?" He whispered. Even though normally he would've growled the question to Sakura, his voice was soft and calm, the complete opposite of Sasuke's normal personality. This made Sakura's mind completely throw itself off in questions.

_Is he still sick? Is it the stress of being stranded? Is he scared or nervous? _The questions may have been running through her mind, but nevertheless, she answered his question.

"You have the only blanket. It's cold and it's late." She said shortly and to the point, her voice a playful tone as she repositioned the blanket on her shoulders. Sasuke shuffled uncomfortably at being so close to a girl, but didn't complain. He had much worse things to worry about.

The next forty minutes Sasuke spent trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling he had while sleeping by a girl. Sakura had long ago fallen asleep next to him, and he didn't even know where Naruto was at the moment. He concentrated on relaxing his body. It was possible now that his head didn't have a rushing feeling with a rising fever.

Finally, after another ten minutes of trying to relax, he finally felt himself drifting, the feeling that he knew he could fall asleep to. He closed his eyes, inching himself closer to Sakura's back, this time too tired to let his pride get in the way. He fell into a quiet sleep immediately, sleeping through the rest of the night.

That morning, Naruto was the first one up. He yawned and stretched his arms in the air, noticing his muscles were sore from sleeping on the ground. His head felt like it had been pressed against stone for two days, and he immediately knew that he would be paying the consequences of forgetting the pillow they had found.

He glanced over at his two teammates, and had to stifle a gasp of surprise at the sight of them. She expected them to be close, but not _that_ close. The two of them were huddled against each other. Sasuke was curled in a loose ball, and Sakura's head was pressed lightly against his chest, but her body was on her side that faced Sasuke. In other words, their faces were only inches away from each other. Sasuke's head was lying on her hand, which cupped the whole side of his head comfortingly. The two had to have somehow awkwardly positioned themselves like this in their sleep, because Sakura would never have done this without waking Sasuke, and Sasuke never would've allowed it. Sasuke and Sakura must've curled together unconsciously, and Sasuke was sleeping too deeply to notice it.

Naruto tried not to stare at his other two teammates, as he went over to the water in the pot he had discarded the night before by the tree opening. He gripped the handle and walked back by the fire. He blew on the burning ashes softly, attempting to rebuild the fire. He grabbed another log and dumped it over, blowing on the ashes again. He didn't think it would work, but eventually, he got the fire going again. After dumping one last log on it, he set the pot on the flat surface of the top log, patiently waiting to boil the water.

He sat and waited. It would take about ten minutes total before the water would be safe enough. Naruto sat down by the fire, on the opposite side of his teammates, and waited.

Sasuke awoke to the extra hotness bursting against his back, and he opened his eyes slowly. He felt something warm in his arms and pressing against his chest. As he regained his senses, he realized it was Sakura sleeping comfortably. Sasuke's face immediately got as red as a tomato. He slowly slid out of Sakura's arms, careful not to wake her. Because of the fire, her body didn't feel the warmth decrease, but actually increase, and her unconscious mind felt that it was just Sasuke pressing tighter against her. She never woke up.

"Hey, you feeling better?" He was greeted by Naruto. His face got even redder knowing Naruto had seen him snuggling together with his teammate. Sasuke immediately avoided eye contact, his eyes staring down at the glowing dirt next to his foot.

"I feel fine." He said, avoiding Naruto's confused gaze. Naruto let it slide past him and gave Sasuke a wholehearted **(A/N that's a word!? O_o) **smile.

"That's good. We need to build a campsite today. I'll fill you in on the supplies we have. You can read the survival note when you have time." Naruto whispered. He told Sasuke about all the supplies they had found, and showed him the medicine bag and the survival paper, taking note of everything it had instructed. After rereading it and making sure everything was memorized, he gave a curt nod.

"We need to build a campsite today. We couldn't before because you were so sick. We've got a lot of work. Can you manage using chidori and fire styles? We'll need them. We'll need to use some vines to tie the campsite together." Naruto informed him, talking quicker than he normally did.

Sasuke let out a sigh; hunger was finally starting to set him. He couldn't think straight.

"Naruto?" He half whispered.

"Yes?" He said back, not nearly as quiet as Sasuke.

"Do we have any food?" He asked him.

"Of course, I found some coconuts. I grabbed one for each of us. You need to break it in half and drink it first. Eat the shell if you want, but you'll need to keep the half, because you need that for a cup to drink water, which I happened to find in two different locations. I will show you where we found some later." Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded, grabbing the located coconut and carefully breaking it in half, drinking and eating its contents. He definitely felt it giving him energy, but he was nowhere near satisfied. He let the thought slide past him. _I'll have to live like this for who knows how long. I better get use to this._ He sighed.

"When are we going to start making the shelter?" He asked. Naruto gave a shrug.

"Whenever Sakura wakes up I guess." He said. Sasuke nodded, glancing back at Sakura. It didn't seem like she'd take forever to wake up, so Sasuke leaned up against the tree, slowly bringing his chakra up, preparing his body for the amount of chakra usage he was use. Naruto sighed and sat by the burning fire.

Twenty minutes later, Sakura started to rouse. She had no idea how she and Sasuke ended up like in the morning, and she never did find out. Sasuke was too embarrassed, and Naruto didn't want to end up getting punched in the face.

After everybody got ready in the morning, they packed up the stuff, and headed for the beach, looking for the perfect place to set camp. Looking around, they realized that the place wasn't a very good location to find build a shelter. In case of another storm, they couldn't place the shelter on the beach, but on the other hand, they couldn't be in the forest because planes and boats wouldn't be able to find them.

"What's do we do?" Naruto moaned. "We don't have a place to put the campsite."

Sasuke and Sakura sat in thought. They glanced at each other, each coming up blank. In the end, they decided to build it on the beach, but closer to the forest so if there was another tropical storm, it wouldn't be as hard to get away in time.

Naruto and Sasuke set off to find suitable trees. They had to be sturdy trees that were lively and strong. After knocking them down with rasengans, chidoris, and demon wind shurikens, they dragged them to Sakura, who cut the tree into the length they needed. Sasuke burned the unneeded leaves and branches using his fire style jutsu. The ashes were collected together in a huge pile, which would later be used to write 'help' in the pale white sand.

After they had gathered multiple suitable trees, Sakura worked on the cutting while Naruto and Sasuke both went off to find some vines to tie them together. They found a place only about a fifteen minute walk from the in-progress shelter that contained what seemed to be an endless supply. They quickly grabbed as many as they could and this time jumped through trees to return to Sakura, so they could grab more. Running back and forth four times was what they needed to get enough of the vines. Then they got to work on building a sturdy, durable shelter.

Planning, pinning, tying, cutting, lashing, squeezing, pulling, pushing, tearing, and pounding all had to be used. Each log had to be stacked next to one another, and they had to hold them up while tying the vines on as tight as possible. They secured three vines to each two logs in case of some coming apart with high winds, stormy weather, or a bad tying job. In the end, after making the walls. They had to use their steel weapons to cut open a door, and secure an extra four vines on the half logs to make sure that it didn't fall down.

Walking inside, the team had to work just as hard. They had to take the logs and cut them so they were thick sheets. They had to be flat on the top and bottom. Some were full sized, and some were half sized. They put the full sized sheets, about four in total, on each side. Then, they put the half sized, about three in total, in the gap between them. This left the team with one circle in the middle that had no flooring. That would be used as the fire pit. Sakura went and gathered rocks for the border of the fire pit, while Naruto and Sasuke worked on tying vines extra tightly on both the top and bottom of the wooden planks.

When Sakura came back, she arranged the pebbles around the circle, and they quickly decided what to do for the roof. In the end, the plan was simple.

They cut the remainder of the logs into more planks, but this time they were all full sized. They put the logs the same exact way they put them in the inside, only this time, they were overlapping since they were all full sized, but they still left a gap in the middle, directly over the fire, tying them together with more green vines. Where there was the gap, they used the remainder of the tree logs that hadn't been used to build a teepee overhead, to help them look more abnormal, and to also help shield their fire from rain. They tied the tope together with a couple vines.

Finally, they added the extra small details. The thin logs that were used as the roof were secured by the team's kunai knives. Sasuke unfolded one of his demon wind shurikens and placed it on the top of the teepee. Hopefully the metal would cause a glint and planes and ships could see it.

After they had finished, they were relived they had finished the hard work. They had been working all day, and their bodies almost demanded a break, but they knew they weren't quite done yet.

They each grabbed a pile of ashes that had now cooled down after lying dormant all day. They spread them out, making bolded, visible letters. It had only taken them about fifteen minutes until they had finished it. A large, bold, 'help' in the sand. Black against white. Letters against smeared white; no pilot in the sky could miss this.

Finally, the team headed back to the old tree that had seemed like their savior at the time. They were grateful to find the tree, but they could dwell on living in it. Doing so would not get them rescued. They grabbed their belongings, and walked back to the shelter. A little over five minutes later, they reached the campsite. They had to figure out where to put everything, and they had to be careful about it. The most important things had to be by them, but close to the door in case they had to escape. They couldn't be too far from the door either, but not too close because of cold drafts and rain.

In the end, they figured out everything. Because of only having one pillow and blanket they quietly decided they'd sleep together. Sasuke was the most reluctant about this, but he knew it he didn't have a choice. They made the bed on the left side of their house **(A/N this is what it looks like from entering the doorway)** and all their important things like the flashlight and medicine bag for example went just above their heads. Their feet would be closest to the door, so they could look outside and face the ocean and easily run outside if they spotted a plane.

In the very back would be the rest of the supplies. The metal box and fishing pole for example were placed there. On the right side of the doorway the foods went. That way, any wandering animals that could sniff out the food would be farther away from the team if they were sleeping and it wandered in without anybody noticing.

Once they were all settled in, they built the fire pit with a teepee, grass, and a piece of paper from one of the notebooks. Sasuke used the remainder of his chakra on a fireball jutsu to ignite the fire. They used an extra log that was flat, and boiled more of the water, keeping drinkable water ready for immediate usage.

It was an hour and a half later. The murky sky had long ago rose above the team's head, and crickets chirped loudly- almost like a summer night in a field of flowers. Sakura hadn't felt this peaceful since they had arrived on the island. Beside her, Naruto was using a stick to poke the dying fire, keeping the flickering flames alive and burning usefully. It was bitter outside, and the fire was the only thing keeping them warm. Their clothes seemed worthless keeping in heat, even though Naruto's jumpsuit was pretty much a jacket. Sasuke had long ago shut his eyes, sleeping off the stressful day. Naruto and Sakura didn't blame him; he had worked harder than everybody. His deep, peaceful breaths were was the only sound drifting inside the shelter besides the occasional crackle of the fire. Sasuke's breath hitched slightly, then evened out once again.

Naruto sighed. "Sakura?" He asked.

"What Naruto?" She asked him.

Naruto closed his eyes. "When will we be rescued?" He asked. "I miss Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei." By the sound of his voice, Sakura could tell he was on the verge of tears. She gave him a sad look.

"I don't know, Naruto. I don't know." She whispered sadly. They both glanced up into the sky.

"I bet they've been searching for us this whole time." She reassured him.

"You think so?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded at him, giving him a hug.

"Now let's go to bed! We can't have the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja feeling depressed now can we?" She laughed quietly, giving him a cheerful smile.

Naruto grinned back, "Yea." He nodded.

Sakura, still smiling, looked back up into the murky midnight sky. "You know what? I know that they've been looking for us. I mean, three genin and a pilot, they've gotta be searching."

Naruto nodded, "I just wish this pain would end. For everyone. Especially Sasuke..." He sighed. Sakura gave him a serious face.

"It will be soon enough. Trust me. We'll be rescued. You, me, and Sasuke. We'll all be rescued. I have no doubts." She whispered. She turned her head to look at Sasuke, and Naruto's followed.

"I… have no doubt that even Sasuke will get through his pain. Don't worry about him at all, Naruto. He'll be just fine. He's an Uchiha, right? The injuries he obtained will heal in time. I have been watching carefully over them." Sakura whispered.

"But Sakura! Sasuke is getting affected by the stress also! You've noticed how he hasn't been acting the same! Whimpering in pain, falling asleep to comfort, sleeping by people, since when did Sasuke do any of this? It's affecting him as well!" Naruto said, his voice rising in concern.

Sakura hushed him. "Shh… Calm down before you wake him." She turned her emerald eyes away from Sasuke's sleeping form back to Naruto, then the charcoal sky.

"He's stressed. We're all stressed. I know that the stress is bugging us all, don't get me wrong. I'm sure Sasuke was whimpering for more than just stress though. He was also scared. I mean, think about it. Thinking you're about to die, then getting thrown into the back of a plane, then getting crushed by metal and losing consciousness, then waking up not able to breathe and hurt, wouldn't you be scared? Once he was finally in my arms, he felt safe, because he knew somebody was there to take care of him and protect him from further harm. He trusts me; he trusts you. He trusts us bottom line. Sasuke's human. He may not show them very often, but he has emotions." Sakura told him.

"What about being hypnotized by you, and sleeping by us? What caused him to do that?" Naruto asked, his voice calmer, but still just as stern.

"Well… first of all, he was sick. He had a terrible fever still lurking inside of him. He kind of made himself become hypnotized. I was just telling him to sleep when I noticed how tired he was, and that he was fixating on the fire. I could tell my voice was calming him so I just kept whispering "just sleep" until he finally fell asleep. He was sick though, otherwise, I don't think he would've fallen asleep. As for him sleeping by us… he knows he doesn't have a choice. He was to sleep with us. When I fell asleep by him, he was already sleeping. He didn't invite me in to sleep with him, I kind of invaded his space."

Naruto gave a shaky nod, not sure if he fully believed Sakura. He glanced back over at Sasuke, his soft glance resting calmly on Sasuke's closed eyelids.

_He looks so… peaceful. _Naruto thought with a slight smile.

"Let's go Naruto, we need some sleep." Sakura said. Naruto nodded and followed her down by the bed. Sakura threw on two logs onto the fire, then lied down on Sasuke's left side. Naruto lied down on Sasuke's right. They both inched closer to Sasuke, to keep him and themselves warmer throughout the night. They both fell asleep immediately.

**~End.**

***sigh* another boring chapter.**

**This time, Naruto and Sakura got some alone time! I hate NaruSaku, and they aren't together. I told everybody that each character would get some time with the others. Sorry there wasn't a NaruSasu conversation. Trust me, they will have time, and a pretty long one. I have it planned out around the middle of the book, but there will be NaruSasu before then too! :)**

**Remember, I haven't gotten any recommendations, and I need some!**

**I AM OFFICIALLY OUT OF IDEAS, SO UNLESS I THINK OF SOMETHING, THIS BOOK WILL NOT BE UPDATED ANYMORE UNLESS I GET IDEAS!!!!!!!**

**REMEMBER: fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Email me there for your ideas, or PM me. DO NOT LEAVE IT IN A REVIEW!**

**Thanks for reading! ^_^**

**Pwwweeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase review?? :3**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian **


	4. In the Jaws of Death

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 4: In the Jaws of Death**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) Gmail . com (for your ideas, otherwise, PM me)**

**Thank you to the few who submitted ideas to this story! It's you guys that keep this story going!! ^^**

**Anyways, on with this chapter!! :D**

**This one's gonna be a thriller to all of you readers that stuck with me through the last two boring chapters. Again, have to get that crap out before the entertainment comes, I hope you understood that. NOW this chapter DEFINITELY has some excitement!! :)**

**You're gonna love this one! (I hope)**

_Recall:_

"_Let's go Naruto, we need some sleep." Sakura said. Naruto nodded and followed her down by the bed. Sakura threw on two logs onto the fire, then lied down on Sasuke's left side. Naruto lied down on Sasuke's right. They both inched closer to Sasuke, to keep him and themselves warmer throughout the night. They both fell asleep immediately._

_Story:_

The rays of the emerging sunrise placed a thick blanket of gentle warmth on Sasuke's cheek, rousing him from the calmness of his dreamless sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, laying his gaze on the small fire pit that had been reduced to ashes and a stream of smoke barely visible in the new day's sunlight. He yawned quietly, looking down at Naruto, who had curled up into a ball. His head was lightly pressed against Sasuke's chest, and his arms were brought up close to his own. He muttered something in his sleep, and his eyebrows furrowed momentarily, before his face softened again. Sasuke could tell Sakura was behind him as well; he could feel her hot breath against his neck, barely brushing his hair against his skin.

Choosing his actions carefully, Sasuke slowly shifted his upper body so he wouldn't wake Sakura and Naruto by moving around. Then, he slowly rose to both knees, then to his feet. He stood up, stretching out his arms and legs quickly, feeling the pain that had swelled up in them yesterday start to subside. He stepped out onto the soft white sand of the beach, his bare feet leaving footprints that left a trail behind him, growing longer and longer the farther he walked. He sauntered in between the E and L of the deformed 'help' that they had written with sticks and branches from the trees that now sheltered the team. He reached the ocean, where the foamy water lapped onto his ankles, spraying his skin with sprinkles of water that spotted his legs. He stared out with a blank gaze, silently longing to see a plane soar above his head, or a boat amble across the turquoise sea, but nothing could be seen from where he stood. Sighing heavily, he felt his hopes sink lower.

Sasuke glanced up into the sky. Its deep blue hue reminded him of something, like the color of Naruto's eyes. Normally, he hated it, but something about it made him comfortable. It started since they crashed on the island. It happened when looking into Sakura's as well. Maybe it was that he didn't want to be alone, and when he looked into their bright, confident eyes, filled with hope and life, it gave him a sense of comfort and even a little confidence as well. He couldn't tell. Maybe it was because of how much they helped him, especially Sakura, working endlessly to save him from his illness that he possibly could've died from without her support. Just thinking about how much they've helped him put a small smile on his face. The first smile he had shown for weeks.

Seriousness won him back over though, and he once again glanced up into the sky that encased everybody, the smile quickly faded from his face. Everybody was all under one roof, in a way, so why was it taking so long for rescuers to find them? The plane didn't shift course so much it that people would've thought the team missed it, and they surely had a map that showed Silent Island. The island was visible on the map that was shown to the team by Kakashi. Sasuke sighed deeply, closing his eyes as a warm breeze brushed against his skin lightly, blowing his clothes and his dark hair backwards.

He opened his jet black eyes again. No planes, no boats. Disappointed, Sasuke ambled back into the shelter, sitting down on the opposite side of his teammates, careful not to wake them. He grabbed the mirror, and a black brush and began combing through his hair absentmindedly, occupying himself while waiting for his other teammates to wake up.

About ten minutes later, after Sasuke finished getting ready for the day, Naruto's shining blue eyes finally opened for the day. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes with his wrist continuously. He glanced around sleepily, spotting Sasuke sitting on the opposite side of the campfire, staring at him casually.

"How long have you been up?" He mumbled.

"Hn. Ten minutes." He said, closing his eyes. He paused, rubbing his sore wrists gently, which were still scarred from the sharp metal.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who was still in a light sleep, her arm just brushing Naruto's. He pulled away calmly to not wake her, and he sat down next to Sasuke, grabbing a different, blue brush and brushing through his own hair.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked seriously. Sasuke could tell that he wasn't kidding around, it wasn't going to be something stupid.

"Hn. What it is it?" He asked, his voice was still cold.

"Why are you acting funny?" Naruto asked, looking down at the abandoned fire pit. He bit his lip, and avoided eye contact.

"I'm not acting funny. You're the one who's acting strange." He said, easily observing Naruto's change of attitude.

"But! You were _whimpering_ Sasuke! I have never heard you whimper in your life before Sasuke! It _scared_ me!" He said, raising his voice but staying quiet enough to not wake Sakura.

"Hn. I was in pain. I didn't know what was going on. One second. I thought I was about to die. The next, I was thrown in the back of the plane and I lost consciousness. Just before I had blacked out, I was sure we were about to die. So then when I woke up, and I immediately felt pain, I got scared. I thought I was dead, but I kept hearing you guys screaming my name and… I just couldn't restrain it." He shifted his gaze from Naruto to the fire pit, and closed his eyes. Naruto could tell he was shaking. It must be hard for him to bring up, even now. _It's too soon to talk about it. _Naruto thought.

"What about being comforted by us?" He asked.

"I was sick, Naruto. I had a high fever, delirious, and I didn't know what was going on. I had no idea where we were, at the moment what happened, and if I was even alive. If _we_ were even alive. I'm sure you can imagine what that felt like." He sighed, still avoided eye contact. His trembling ceased.

Naruto sighed slightly, calming down. _Alright Sasuke_ he thought. _I guess I'll have to believe you._

They both turned their heads when they heard Sakura's yawn. Naruto smiled.

"Morning Sakura." He said happily, trying not to show his sadness.

"Morning." She said much less cheerless. She turned her head to Sasuke.

"How are your wounds?" She asked.

Sasuke grunted. "Fine." He said, obviously lying.

Sakura sighed. "Let me see." She silently walked over to him, unwrapping the wounds carefully so she wouldn't hurt him. Sasuke sat quietly, with his eyes closed. He felt the pressure of the bandages lift. He felt Sakura's cool fingertips brush against his wrist gently. She'd press down on certain areas for some reason Sasuke didn't understand. One spot she pressed down too hard and caused Sasuke to flinch slightly. In was barely visibly, but both of his teammates caught it.

"Sorry Sasuke." Sakura said quickly. Sasuke nodded, "It's fine. Just finish."He grunted, looking to the ground. After about ten minutes of being poked and prodded, Sakura finally finished.

"Well, they're definitely healing. Be careful though, these wounds are fragile. You don't want to open them up any more or they'll get infected and we could have some trouble." She said seriously. Sasuke nodded.

"It's better if these get some air. It'll help them heal a bit. That ok with you?" She asked him. She received a small nod in reply.

"We better fish for some food. We'll need some fish to eat. We can't live off coconuts and crackers." Sakura said. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded. Sakura stood up reaching into the bag, and pulling out the disassembled fishing pole. She put it together, throwing it to the boys. Then she reached into her weapon holder, pulling out some fishing line and a hook. **(A/N I forgot what it's actually called. It's the stuff that Sasuke's used in the forest of death against Orochimaru. I'm just going to call it fishing line. And don't ask about the hook. Where else was I supposed to get one? -_-;)**

"Go find a strong stick outside, one of you, and make a fishing pole with this. I'll restart the fire and get it ready to cook the fish." She said quickly. Naruto and Sasuke nodded. Sasuke grabbed the pole, and they both walked outside. Naruto quickly looked around for a large sturdy branch. Once he found one he quickly tied the fishing line on tightly, then the hook, and ran into the tent to get some crackers as bait. Once he grabbed four crackers, he dashed out with Sasuke to the ocean.

They walked in until the water was high enough to touch Sasuke's pants without the waves. When the waves lapped by, it went to the top of his weapon holster. There was a very long drop off only a few feet away, so it was perfect to fish.

They each used half a cracker each, and they tossed it out. After a few seconds, Sasuke caught a fish. He yanked up, tossing the medium sized flailing fish into the air. He took a kunai and stabbed the fish, killing it swiftly. Tiny droplets of blood splattered into the water. Sakura, who was watching them from the shelter, came dashing out.

"I used a match and a water bottle and got the fire started. I'll get that fish cooked." She said. Sasuke handed her the fish, watching her make a slightly disgusted look when she touched it.

"Call for me when you catch more." She said. Sasuke nodded, grabbing another half cracker and tossing it back into the water. A few seconds later, he caught another fish. This time, a larger fish came flying into the air, spraying miniature water drops all over Sasuke. He stabbed it with the same kunai he used on the first fish, and once again it dropped into the water, dead before it hit. The water once again became tainted with fish blood.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called. Sakura, who was busy preparing the first fish, gasped. "Already?" She said to no one in particular as she dashed back into the water. She retrieved the next fish and once again turned around and darted back to the shelter to prepare the next fish.

"Whoa! I got one!" Naruto yelled as he yanked his pole roughly. The hook shot up… with nothing on it. The bait was gone.

"You idiot." Sasuke muttered, reaching into his pocket to grab another half cracker, but Naruto was faster, and he instantly grabbed the two full sized crackers, leaving only the half cracker left. He put the two crackers on his pole while humming contently.

"Naruto! Don't waste the crackers!" Sasuke growled, but it was too late, and Naruto had already tossed them into the water.

"I'm gonna get the biggest fishy!" He laughed, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Seconds ticked by, and nobody caught a fish.

"All of your ruckus scared the fish… idiot." Sasuke mumbled to his teammate.

"Not my fault we caught them all!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"There was plenty of fish here until you started yelling and flailing around, Moron." He said with a small sigh.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled just as Sasuke got another bite. He launched his pole upwards, taking the kunai and stabbing the small fish that thrashing madly. It's tail flopped sideways once before lying completely still. More blood dripped into the already tainted water.

"Go bring this to Sakura. She doesn't have to be the one running around constantly." He ordered Naruto.

"Hey! You're not the boss of me!" He yelled.

"Hn. It doesn't matter, now go give this to her." He shoved this fish into Naruto, who muttered a small "fine." Before walking back to Sakura, grumbling all the way.

Sasuke sighed, "That moron." He whispered before grabbing the last cracker, hooking it, and tossing it into the water. "He scared away all the fish around here."

Naruto walked into the shelter, clearly unhappy.

"What did you do this time, Naruto?" Sakura asked him, taking the fish from him without saying thanks.

"He thinks he's the boss of me." He muttered.

"He pretty much is, Naruto. You're clumsy and clueless. Without him, you would've died a thousand times by now." She joked.

"Yea whatever." He grumbled, he let out an angry sigh and started his long walk back out into the ocean.

Sasuke wondered where all the fish had gone. He knew that Naruto had scared them away, but they should've been back by now. He started to feel uneasy.

_What's going on?_ He wondered. He turned around to see if Naruto was coming back,

Before he did anything else, he felt an excruciating pain in his leg, like thousands of needles piercing him, but much thicker and stronger. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as bone-crushing pressure was squeezed tightly around his leg, feeling like someone had encased his leg with a two story building.

All he could hear was Naruto's desperate call before he felt his body being pulled down, and before he could do anything, his body was completely submerged underwater, the air being pulled away from him.

Naruto walked down the beach. _He's not the boss of me._ He thought angrily. _Why the heck does he have to act like that?_ Naruto sighed heavily. He suddenly remembered that he needed to replenish the bait. He was about to turn around to go ask Sakura when he heard a cry of pain emit from Sasuke.

Gasping, Naruto looked up swiftly. All he could see was Sasuke's body get thrown into the water, and something gray sticking up from the water, shaking roughly back and forth. The water around Sasuke instantly was tainted pink.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called desperately, instantly recognizing the situation. He seemed to lose all senses to everything around him. All he was focused on was Sasuke. He didn't even hear Sakura's call. "What happened?" Thankfully, she was able to recognize the situation without Naruto, who was dashing into the ocean not caring about his own safety. All he cared about was getting Sasuke out of there. _No wonder the fish weren't coming!_

"Sasuke!" She screamed helplessly. She ran inside the shelter, instantly grabbing the medical bag, and dashing outside again. No matter how desperately she wanted to go help Sasuke, she knew Naruto was going and he would get him back, no matter what. She felt so helpless. She ran to the shore and dumped out all of the medical supplies.

_How the heck am I supposed to heal him with this!? This is nothing! They don't have nearly as much as I need to heal him!_ Sakura was no medic, but she understood medicine well. She could perform a surgery without messing up. She knew the supplies she'd need, and this was nowhere near everything. Panting in fear and tiredness from her running, she glanced up at Naruto, who was only steps away from the bloody water.

"Be careful!" Sakura screamed to him, and just then, his head went underwater.

Naruto opened his eyes, instantly feeling the sting in his eyes, but ignoring it completely. His adrenaline was pumping wildly, and he didn't even register it. He glanced around swiftly, and found the suspected shark pulling Sasuke down into the deep abyss below. Sasuke was struggling weakly against the shark, but it was shaking his weak body back and forth wildly, like a dog playing with a stuffed animal. Naruto gasped as he realized what lured the shark by him. _The fish blood!_

Naruto made the sign for the shadow clone jutsu. Instantly, four shadow clones appeared. They all swam down swiftly to the shark. Sasuke's struggling had came to a stop and he released what seemed like the rest of his precious breath. Naruto was running out of breath himself, but he didn't let it stop him. The shadow clones started punching and kicking the shark violently, but it shook it's muscular head sideways again, shoving the clones away and shaking Sasuke's already traumatized body more. Naruto couldn't even tell if Sasuke was alive anymore. His eyes were shut, and he was completely limp. His shirt had three giant tears in the front, with three giant gashes draining blood like a faucet. Another tear and heavily bleeding gash was on his leg, just below his knee. His leg was visibly the worst.

_That must've been where the shark bit him first. It must not have bit him anywhere else. _Naruto thought.

The water all around them was so pink, that somebody coming to the ocean and had never seen one would think that the ocean _was_ pink.

Finally, after one straight kick to the eye by one of the clones, the shark released its muscular grip on Sasuke's leg. Just as Naruto thought the shark was going to leave, it tried to bite Sasuke again, this time deliver the killing bite on Sasuke's chest and stomach. If he wasn't already dead, he would surely be dead after this bite. Thankfully, just before the gray shark crunched down on Sasuke's frail body, three of the clones swam _inside_ the mouth, holding it up by the roof of its mouth. It couldn't close its mouth no matter how much pressure it pressed. The fourth clone pushed Sasuke out of the danger of its jaws, before turning around and helping the clones.

The last clone kicked the shark in the eyes multiple times before it turned around and swam away swiftly. The clones all disappeared from its jaws, but the shark didn't return. Naruto quickly grabbed Sasuke, carrying him bridal style in his arms as he swam quickly to the surface.

_Gotta hurry! The smell of blood will lure other sharks!_ He thought as he swam furiously to the top. His lungs were screaming for air, but he knew compared to Sasuke, it was nothing. He finally reached the surface, shifting his arms so Sasuke's head rose to. He inhaled a deep breath of air; Sasuke didn't…

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura screamed from the shore line worryingly. She thought she had lost the both of them. Naruto paddled furiously to the shore line, determined to save Sasuke.

_Come on Sasuke! Live! Live!_ His mind was screaming desperately, making him swim faster and faster towards the shore. He glanced down at Sasuke's face, mixed with all kinds of emotions. Fear, uneasiness, and pain. Sasuke still hadn't done anything. No breathing, no blinking, no movement. Naruto felt hot tears trickle out of his eyes.

"Sasuke! Come on!" He screamed. He reached the ground, and he started running. He could feel the water getting shallower and shallower with every step he took. Exhaustion started to get him, and he started slowing down.

_No! Not now! I'm almost there!_ He thought, picking up the pace. Determination flashed in his eyes. After what seemed like hours later, he finally reached the shore, where Sakura was waiting screaming his and Sasuke's name, tears flooding from her eyes. She took one look at Sasuke's broken body and gasped; more tears emitting from her. She wanted to turn her head away from the gruesome sight, but she had to help her teammate.

Instantly, she ripped off his shirt, tossing it aside quickly. She lifted his chin and put her ear close to his parted lips, listening for breathing.

_Crap! He's not breathing!_ She thought in despair. She reached for the plastic mask used especially for mouth to mouth. She cupped the triangular piece to his face, and put her mouth over the mask, breathing life into his lungs, while checking for a pulse at the same time. Then she did chest compressions. Finding the correct spot under his sternum, she pressed thirty times, then did another rescue breath.

He coughed.

"Sasuke!" She gasped, removing the mask, and putting him into a recovery position. **(A/N for those who don't know what this is, a very simple way of putting it is turning a victim's body to the side so any fluids in their mouth (water, vomit, etc.) can leave the body so they don't drown.) **Pink water flowed freely from his mouth, and he coughed again. This time, more blood than water exited his body. He started trembling badly. His breaths started getting shallow again.

"Sasuke! Stay with me!" Sakura yelled to him. She gasped as his eyes opened halfway, blank, unfocused eyes that stared off into the distance. His eye color faded into a dull gray.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered unsurely. Sasuke's eyes shut tight in pain as more coughs racked his body, blood spurting from his mouth. Sakura rolled his body back into the recovery position.

"Cough, Sasuke. Get all of that blood and water out of your lungs." She told him. He obliged, coughing as much as his frail body would let him. He coughed the next minute and a half, which worried Sakura.

_How much blood and water does he have in his lungs?_ Once the fluids slowly came to a halt, Sakura rolled him onto his back. Every time she moved his body, the pain doubled. He let out a strangled scream, which sounded more like an awkward hiccup at first, but then Naruto and Sakura could clearly tell it was a scream. His arms miraculously raised in the air, and he started to struggle weakly.

"Sasuke! Calm down! I need to heal your wounds!" Sakura said, gently grabbing his arms and effortlessly pressed his arms back to the ground. He let out another scream. Naruto didn't know what to do, or how to help. He wanted to do something, but what could he do? He didn't know anything about medicine at all.

"Naruto help me here!" Sakura told him. Sasuke had started thrashing more violently, and it became quite a chore to keep Sasuke calmed down. Even in the condition Sasuke was in, he was still strong, and hard for Sakura to keep still. It proved how strong the young Uchiha really was. She could feel his muscles as he squirmed and waved his arms around.

"What should I do?" Naruto panicked.

"Help calm him down while I get the morphine." Naruto immediately went to his task of calming his teammate, but protested against Sakura.

"Are you kidding me, Sakura? Morphine can be anesthesia! You can't put him under, he may never wake up again!"

Sakura grabbed the syringe, while waiting for Naruto to calm Sasuke down. He was gripping his wrists lightly, and his head was down by Sasuke's as he whispered words of comfort. Sakura decided to talk once Naruto stopped speaking to Sasuke.

Sasuke struggled for the next six minutes, and Sakura started to get worried. He was moving too much, and he could easily make the wounds worse, or die of blood loss soon. Why wasn't he slowing down by now? Was Sasuke really that powerful? What stamina he had to keep fighting! Even after being traumatized by a shark attack! Sakura couldn't believe it.

Exhaustion taking its toll, Sasuke finally started calming down. His arms lowered to the ground, with Naruto's grip, now tight, still on his wrists. His hands were white when Naruto finally let go. He whimpered in pain, his eyes squeezed shut painfully. Sakura immediately dropped the morphine and checked his pulse on his neck, and put her other hand on his forehead.

"High fever and weak pulse. I'm surprised he's conscious." She said taking medical bandaging in her hands and unrolling it.

"Naruto, go grab that spray over there. Spray about three sprays in every part of his wounds. Don't let an inch of any of his wounds be left unsprayed. If one part isn't cleaned by it, it could easily get infected and in Sasuke's case, he'll die." Naruto nodded, grabbing the spray. He sprayed it into one of Sasuke's stomach wounds, making Sasuke cry out in pain. Tears even swelled up in his eyes, making Naruto feel extremely guilty for hurting him worse.

_It's do this or he dies._ He thought. With that justification, he sprayed it again. Tears started spilling over in Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm sorry Sasuke!" Naruto said, tears forming in his eyes as well. After finally finishing the spray on Sasuke's stomach and chest, he moved down to Sasuke's leg. He nearly vomited at what he was looking at. Sasuke's skin was torn, and the bone was visible from a certain angle.

"Sakura… do I..?" Naruto asked. Clearly, Sakura already knew.

"Yes Naruto. Hurry!" She said, finishing unrolling the medical bandage. Naruto did the three sprays quickly. Sasuke screamed out in pain again. The tears that were threatening to fall from Naruto finally spilt.

"I'm sorry!" He said, pounding his fist on the ground.

"Darn it! Why am I so weak? Why couldn't it have been me? WHY!?" He screamed. Sasuke's dull gray eyes blinked at him.

"Naru…" He trailed off as he coughed roughly again, but nothing came out.

"Don't talk Sasuke." Sakura told him calmly. "Naruto! Help me!"

Naruto rubbed off the tears, glancing at Sakura. "What?"

"Hold him up! I need to get these bandages wrapped around him." She told him. He nodded, coming up behind Sasuke, and slowly lifting his upper body up. He whimpered in pain again, so Sakura quickly wrapped the stomach wounds. The whole time, he was screaming. The adrenaline in his body had worn off, and the excruciating pain of the shark bite was starting to take full effect, while the pressure Sakura was applying seemed to hurt just as bad. His screaming increased far louder than what the team had ever heard, even Sakura in the forest of death. It was so loud, that if the situation wasn't this, they would've plugged their ears.

"Sasuke! Calm down!" Naruto screamed, but Sasuke could barely hear him over his own screaming. The pain seemed to block out his own senses.

"Naruto! He can't calm down! The adrenaline has worn off! The pain is coming at him full blast right now!" She quickly finished wrapping his stomach and chest wounds, then she and Naruto lied him down again. She grasped the morphine firmly.

"Naruto! Hold him arm down tightly! Don't let him move it!" She tried to scream over Sasuke's. His unbearable agony had to be dealt with now. They couldn't put it aside any longer.

Naruto grasped his arm, pushing down to keep it still. Before Sasuke could react he felt a needle prick on his upper arm. He felt the needle quickly pull out of his skin, and then Naruto's firm grasp leave as Sakura grabbed his arm and lifted it into the air, letting the fluids enter his body faster. A few seconds later, his screaming died down to whimpers. He could somewhat hear the blurry voices of his teammates.

"He can't fall asleep! He may never wake up! Give him a stimulant!" Naruto was yelling.

"He needs to sleep! It may seem bad in this situation, but he needs anesthesia Naruto! I gave him more than he needed to make sure he does fall asleep! His body is dramatically traumatized right now, and he needs to rest to recover from it! This is basically an operation without the proper tools and equipment, and Sasuke needs to be put under! It's too late for a stimulant now!" Sakura yelled back.

"What are you planning to do? Why do we need to risk Sasuke never waking up again?" Naruto demanded.

Sakura sighed, glancing at Sasuke, who was looking at them both, his dull gray eyes unfocused on their blurry outlines.

"I'll wait until Sasuke's asleep so he's not scared before he goes under. Don't worry, he'll be out soon." Sakura whispered.

Sasuke let out another whimper of pain, and he closed his eyes shut tightly.

"Are you still in that much pain? I figured the morphine should've helped you so you wouldn't even be doing that. Don't worry Sasuke, you'll be asleep soon. I can't heal you until you sleep." She gave him a sad smile. She stroked his drenched hair lovingly, trying to calm him down.

"What… What are you… going to… do?" He managed to whisper. His face scrunched in pain again, and he let out another whimper, only much louder.

"Sasuke, don't talk. It'll hurt more. Just relax. Close your eyes, and sleep." Sakura whispered.

Naruto, who was still sitting beside him, did what he could to comfort him. He gripped Sasuke's hand, stroking the top of it with his thumb. He never gave comfort to people, but something sparked him to do it this time. He had before, but nothing as much as what he had done during this situation. He finally gave up on his side, knowing Sasuke's pain would be gone if he fell asleep.

"Come on Sasuke. Just listen to her and sleep. You're pain will leave. Come on. You'll be alright." He whispered, giving his teammate a hug at his shoulders, being cautious of his stomach and chest wounds.

"Sleep Sasuke." Sakura told him. She laid a hand on his forehead, trying to relax him more. It worked momentarily until more waves of pain broke past the morphine and he whimpered again, rolling his head to the side.

Minutes later, the morphine started to take effect. Sasuke started feeling dizzy. Everything was starting to fuzz around him. His senses started to slow.

"S'k…ra… N'r…to…" He mumbled, rolling his head to the other side uncomfortably. More whimpers escaped from him.

"We're here." Sakura whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're sleepy, Sasuke. Go to sleep. I promise we'll take good care of you."

Naruto nodded in agreement when he glanced at him.

He glanced back up into the sky, recalling how similar it was to Naruto's shining blue eyes.

_It's like… his eyes… watching over me…_

Blackness finally swept over him.

**Told ya it'd be a thriller! :D**

**See? I was right! ^^ I bet none of you suspected Sasuke to be attacked by a shark! Will he survive? What'll happen to him?**

**Thanks to:**

**Sasuke's Pal and Akatsukigirl for the first ideas! ^^**

**Sasuke's Pal's was the only one who's idea got on this chapter though! His idea was the beginning. (From the very beginning, to fishing. The shark attack was my idea)**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! You all get cookies! ^^**

**Btw, this story has officially reached 40 pages! :D (41 right now) on Office Word!! :D**

**And only 4 chapters! O.o (approximately 10 pages per chapter! Holy crap!)**

**Thank you to all who keep this story going! :D The more reviewers, the more determined I get to continue writing! ^^**

**(I'm sure you're tired of hearing this… so send in recommendations you readers! xD) fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com (send ideas) or PM me, either one works! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	5. Vital Signs

**Chapter 5: Vital Signs**

**I'll give the email again:**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Use that to send your ideas! ^_^**

**Previous:**

_"We're here." Sakura whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "You're sleepy, Sasuke. Go to sleep. I promise we'll take good care of you." _

_Naruto nodded in agreement when he glanced at him._

_He glanced back up into the sky, recalling how similar it was to Naruto's shining blue eyes._

_It's like… his eyes… watching over me…_

_Blackness finally swept over him._

**Story:**

"His temperature is 105 degrees…"

"Is that accurate?"

"I don't know, this thermometer looks old, but I can't tell."

"He's shaking really badly…"

"He's not in any pain."

"How do you know?"

"The amount of morphine that I gave him should keep him sleeping for at least a day, Naruto."

Naruto gently grasped Sakura's shoulder as she put down the plain white, old looking thermometer.

"What is it?" She hissed. "I have to work on Sasuke."

Naruto glanced at the bloodstained sand below him, his blue eyes clouded with worry. "You said that you were going to wait until Sasuke was asleep to say why he needed to be asleep."

Sakura sighed; she wasn't exactly favoring to tell Naruto, but Naruto was Sasuke's teammate as well, and Naruto had every right to know. As she opened up her mouth to speak, the words that she wanted to say just tumbled back down. It felt like every gruesome word she said would cost Sasuke more pain. She quickly got controlled over herself again and drew out a breath before finally letting the words escape her throat.

"Well, I'm going to need to stitch his skin back together using fishing line, **(A/N probably not possible, but oh well. ^_^') **and a senbon **(I know that's not possible, please just follow along with it.)** and I'm also going to have to give him blood. Darn it! I don't know his blood type…"

Naruto, who was watching her with scared eyes, immediately interrupted her stream of frightening words. "AB. His blood type is AB."

Sakura would've asked how he knew but she didn't have the time. "I can donate blood, what's your blood type?" She asked him.

"B. I can donate blood too." He said seriously, almost too seriously for the usually hyper blonde.

Sakura nodded slowly, glancing down to Sasuke's face, noticing it was quickly losing color. His pale skin had turned even paler with blood loss.

"We need his body situated so his legs are elevated more. The land lowers where the water is, so turn him around and move him down a little too." Sakura said quickly. "You grab his legs. Keep his injured leg elevated high." Naruto nodded, picking his teammates legs up by the knees. Sakura brought her hands underneath Sasuke's arms, lifting him up in one swift movement. They walked down four steps, and then turned him the other way, setting his body down gingerly to avoid any more injuries.

"Help me here. Grab the medical bag, bring it here, and then take out the syringe." She instructed Naruto, taking a kunai from her weapon pouch. Naruto obliged, reaching for the kit. He grabbed the syringe and handed it to Sakura, who grabbed it and made a cut on her upper arm. Blood dripped down from the opening, making Naruto freeze. Why was she cutting herself? Then he understood as she put the open end of the syringe, with the top popped off, and filled it with her own blood. Once she filled the syringe to the top with her own blood, she put the top back on and gently. Sakura glanced at Sasuke, lying unmoving and frigid cold on the ground as the morphine created a barrier so his mind couldn't process pain.

Gently, she slid the needle into his arm, pressing the syringe, sending blood flowing into Sasuke's body. Once she finished with the first syringe, she took it out and refilled the blood. She had to do it three more times afterwards until she started to get only slightly dizzy and she immediately stopped.

"Ok Naruto, go." She said, handing the syringe over. "I'll insert the needle though." Naruto got busy filling the syringe with his blood this time, seeing Sasuke's body start to regain the color to it. After four from Naruto, Sakura stopped the blood transfusion. She immediately grabbed fishing wire and her senbon, immediately getting to work on his leg.

That's how the next thirty minutes went. Sakura stitching up his leg cautiously and Naruto both helping her, working on more minor injuries of Sasuke's, or just comforting Sasuke. He would grab water and dump it on Sasuke's wounds to clean them to help Sakura, or spray the disinfecting spray into his chest and stomach wounds. Comforting was what he was best at, though. It didn't matter, Sasuke's sedated, who cares? That was the only thought running through Naruto's mind at the moment. It seemed to calm his own mind down, more than it could do for Sasuke.

He would brush the hair out of Sasuke's eyes, or give him a gentle hug around the shoulders, or even hold his hand when he knew something would've been painful if he was awake. Sakura didn't protest whenever he did so.

"Naruto… Help me wrap the bandaging around his wounds; I've done as much as I can do. The rest is up to his body to recover fully. His life is in his own hands at the moment." Sakura murmured quietly, closing her eyes in sadness. Naruto's head barely moved when nodding, and he dashed over to Sakura's side, where they together wrapped Sasuke's leg wound carefully. Blood immediately soaked the bandages, but it wasn't life threatening bleeding.

Sakura and Naruto sighed, relieved that the work was over. Sasuke was still far from it, but he wasn't nearly as bad as before. He would've died without minutes without Sakura's CPR. They were relieved that Sasuke's life was now much more stable than it was just awhile ago.

Naruto quietly gathered up all the medical supplies, while Sakura positioned Sasuke in her arms. He weighed more than her, but she still somehow found the strength inside of her to carry the young Uchiha in her arms. She stood up, gently pulling the young Uchiha close to her chest, where his head buried into the crook of her neck, unconsciously sighing deeply. His warm breath brushed softly against her skin. His pale, clammy skin on his forehead touched her more colored skin on her neck as his head lowered slightly when Sakura's arms shifted.

"Can you carry him?" Naruto asked Sakura, who gave a curt nod in return, not wanting to disturb Sasuke. She too, started caring for the comfort of her teammate. They started walking slowly back to the shelter. Along the way, Sakura shifted Sasuke in her arms so he would be in a much more comfortable situation.

"He's gotta get into the shade." Sakura whispered.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Is does he still have a fever?" He asked.

Sakura felt his forehead after shifting him around a little. "Yes. It's still bad too." She muttered, sighing.

"Let's get him some shade, some water, and a cool cloth on his forehead. That will do him some good." Sakura added.

Naruto nodded. "Good idea."

They both hustled into the small shelter, where Sakura laid Sasuke into the bed, covering his weak, traumatized body with the thin blanket. She rested the pillow underneath Sasuke's head, making sure he was as comfortable as possible. She dumped some of the boiled water onto a rag, wringing it out and placing it on Sasuke's feverish forehead. She took out the thermometer, sliding it into his mouth, and waiting for the soft _beep_ it provided.

A few seconds passed before the familiar noise hit her ears, and when she took it from Sasuke, the result was shocking.

"Still 105? This is gotta be brought down." She muttered. Grabbing some water, she carefully brought a bottle of water to Sasuke's lips, tipping it until a small amount of water slid into Sasuke's mouth.

He was already in the shade, but it was hard to make sure he was hydrated enough to keep his fever down.

"Sakura." Naruto whispered.

"Yes?" She whispered back.

"Is he alright?" He asked, watching him with curious eyes.

"His fever is still just as high. We gotta bring it down. Light the fire, would you? It'll make him sweat to keep the fever down. Let's try to do this before he wakes up so he doesn't feel any more pain than what's destined."

Naruto nodded, quickly starting the fire with a match.

Naruto cooked the fish that he and Sasuke had caught. They both sat in silence. Their hunger had left them the second they saw Sasuke struggling weakly in the water before his head went under.

Naruto's eyes flashed fear remembering Sasuke's body being shaken like a ragdoll, and the dreadfulness of bringing Sasuke to shore to find he wasn't breathing.

_I don't deserve to eat this fish. It's because of these stupid fish that Sasuke's like this._ Naruto thought. Apparently, Sakura was thinking the same because she hadn't taken a bite.

After moments in uncomfortable silence, they finally started eating, leaving the last fish abandoned on the ground. They both knew that was the same fish that had lured the shark to Sasuke's body in the first place.

The rest of the day went by slowly. Naruto and Sakura spent the whole day taking care of the young, bedridden Uchiha. With the morphine still kicking strongly, he didn't do as much as flinch. He wouldn't start to move until either late in the night or in the morning. Sakura constantly checked his temperature, until finally, around evening, Sasuke's painful fever finally dropped to 103 degrees. Still high, but compared to what it was beforehand, they knew Sasuke's fever was losing its home in Sasuke's traumatized body.

When night finally settled, Naruto and Sakura each took a side next to Sasuke. Naruto fell asleep right away after the tiring and dramatic day, his back pressed against Sasuke's. Sakura had a much more difficult time sleeping. She lied in bed, tossing and turning for awhile. Finally, she glanced at Sasuke's beautiful features. His eyes gently closed, his lids touching every so lightly. His mouth parted slightly, soft, deep breaths entering and leaving. His face was so calm and peaceful, almost like nothing happened. He looked untouched, his beautiful skin shimmering in the bright moonlight. He inhaled deeply, curling up into a loose ball. His legs were curled closer to his body, but his arms were halfway bent and farther away from his chest. He tucked his head in more, swallowing, and breaking his evened breaths momentarily before continuing the calmness that his breaths seemed to create.

Sakura smiled sadly as his eye brows furrowed momentarily, before loosening again. It only proved that Sasuke's agony was still there, disturbing his peaceful sleep. Sakura wanting badly to be able to free the pain, to be able to touch his smooth, gleaming skin and let the agony ebb away into the lingering fog far away, where it could never again disturb Sasuke's rest.

She gripped Sasuke's hand slightly, holding his muscular hand with her much smaller sized one, brushing the top with her thumb. She pulled him into a tight hug; silent tears falling from her glowing eyes, which closed as a cool breeze brushed into the shelter, ruffling both her and Sasuke's hair.

It was then that Sasuke's striking murky onyx eyes opened, glancing up at her weeping eyes.

"S-Sakura…" He murmured ever so quietly, like he was giving a dying wish.

Sakura gasped, glancing down at his body that she was wrapping in her arms. She released the grip on Sasuke.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, but he didn't respond. She looked into his deep black eyes. They looked so… lost, like a lonely orphan staring up into the sky, hoping and praying for their parents who never showed. He was staring off into nowhere.

"S-Saku…ra…" He murmured again, his voice was rough and hoarse, but when whispering so low, it sounded calm.

"What is it Sasuke?" She asked him, wondering if he'd respond.

"Am I… safe?" He whispered. Sakura was about to tell him but his faded, onyx eyes closed as he fell into another sleep, packed with peaceful dreams to ease his mind of the trauma he just went through.

Sakura pulled him close, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. She stroked her fingertips into his hair as she whispered her last words before being able to finally sleep as well.

_"Your life will always be in good hands when I'm here."_

**100% REDONE!!! :D**

**Even the plot of this chapter was different!! ^_^**

**SORRY FOR REPEATING THE OTHER CHAPTER!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! *bows***

**But… for the people who have already read this earlier chapter… I'm going to change up what happens to Sasuke so you don't know what'll happen to him! ^^ I'm such a little devil.**

**Thanks to all who read this! :D**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	6. Hypnosis

_Paranoia at Silent Island_

_Chapter 6: Hypnosis_

**With no suggestions coming in… I think I'm going to stop the book.**

**This is it. Unless I get more reviews… this might be the final chapter. Seriously, guys. Is that bad of a story?**

**Enjoy…**

_Previous:_

_Sakura pulled him close, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. She stroked her fingertips into his hair as she whispered her last words before being able to finally sleep as well._

_"Your life will always be in good hands when I'm here."_

_Story:_

Naruto awoke with a loud yawn that managed to wake both of his other teammates up as well. Sakura's eyes shot open at the noise, giving a piercing glare at Naruto, who gave an _'I'm dead'_ look back at her, then turned his head away swiftly to avoid eye contact with her. Sakura glanced at Sasuke, expecting him to be sound asleep, but she was amazed to find him lying there, eyes open, looking at her silently, his eyes clouded with emotions. She blinked, caught by surprise, but she quickly recovered from the sight, and continued what could possibly be a routine in the morning.

"Good morning, Sasuke. How are you feeling?" She asked nonchalantly, staring into the Uchiha's pale face.

"Hurts… but not nearly as bad as yesterday." He sighed, closing his eyes again.

"Ok… where exactly does it hurt?" She asked him.

"On my leg where I was bitten, the wounds on my chest, all the obvious things." He mumbled, not opening his eyes.

Sakura nodded, "Anything else? Internal pain like a headache or stomach ache?"

"A headache. A pretty bad one. I haven't had one this bad for a long time." He put his hand on his forehead, where the old scar from the plane was, barely visible at this point. **(A/N how many of you thought I'd forget about these? How many of you forgot about it yourselves? xD)**

"Ok. I need to check on your wounds. All the way back to the plane crash as well." She said. Sasuke opened his eyes and blinked at her, then he nodded slightly, shutting them lightly again. He brought his hand back down to his side, resting it limply on the cool wood below his weak body.

Sakura got to work, first looking at the forehead wound that had now been reduced to a tiny scratch. Sakura reached for the medical bag, taking out a cream, and spreading it across the wound. It stung for a split second, before cooling on his skin. Next, she gently rolled his head to the side, checking the wound on his neck. It seemed to have opened when the shark pulled him under and started wounding him, and nobody had noticed it since it wasn't a place that Sasuke had been attacked. Blood was still dripping from the wound, but not so much it was life threatening. Sakura grabbed some bandages.

"Lift your head up." She instructed. Sasuke didn't do as much as flinch.

"Sasuke?" She said. The only response she got was a small, innocent sigh.

_Sasuke fell asleep?_ Sakura thought. _That's not like him at all. He must still be recovering from the trauma. I should let him sleep._ Sakura thought. She glanced at Naruto, who was brushing his hair.

"Naruto." She hissed quietly, making him jump. "Come here and help me."

Naruto darted over to her. "What?" He said loudly.

"Shh! I need you to lift Sasuke's head up so I can get these bandages around his neck. Be gentle, don't wake him up or hurt him. He says he has a really bad headache." She whispered. Naruto nodded, moving so he was behind Sasuke's head. He carefully slid his hands underneath Sasuke's head. When Sasuke didn't move, he slowly raised his hands higher, so Sakura could wrap the bandages around Sasuke's neck. It only took a minute or two, then Sakura finished.

" I'm going to help him sleep better. He's still traumatized and his body needs rest. We disturbed his sleep so we need bring him into a deeper sleep so he can recover faster." Naruto was confused, but didn't lower Sasuke's head.

"It's ok, you can put his head down, just be gentle." Naruto nodded, carefully lowering the young Uchiha's head down to the ground, sliding his fingers from his hair. Sasuke's eyes fluttered, and at that moment, they opened, revealing beautiful onyx. Sakura looked up at Naruto, who shrugged with an uncaring look on his face.

"Hey Sasuke. Stay awake for me ok? You can sleep real soon, I promise." He nodded slightly, glancing back at Naruto, who gave him a rather large grin.

"Why are you guys so close?" He grumbled.

"We're just making sure you're ok. Stop complaining idiot." Naruto retorted.

"Knock it off, you two." Sakura sighed, taking Sasuke's right arm in her hands and examining the wound.

"Ok… all of your wounds from the crash should be fine. The wounds from the shark aren't too bad either. Your leg is really the only thing that will have to be loosely watched. Alright?" Sasuke nodded slightly.

"Can I sleep?" He asked.

"Give me 2 minutes. I'm going to help you sleep. Naruto, follow me for a second." She said. Sasuke was surprised, she didn't ask him, she _told_ him, which wasn't normal for Sakura. Besides, why did he need help sleeping? He had been sleeping just fine.

Sakura pulled Naruto outside. "I need you to help, I am planning on hypnotizing Sasuke, and I need you to sit behind him."

Naruto blinked. "One: Ok. Two: Will hypnosis work on Sasuke?"

"I'm not completely sure, but it might. Based off the first experience with my voice, when I calmed him into a sleep, and then with the head roll working efficiently, it's very likely hypnosis works on him. Hypnosis works on most people. Even though it's less likely for it to work on an Uchiha, looks like Sasuke falls into it. Easily too."

"What do I need to do?" Naruto asked.

"Even though I'm pretty sure, just to be safe, make sure he doesn't fall backwards. Out of the millions of people that have been hypnotized, only a few have ever fallen backwards, but with trauma and wounds like his, we can't risk it."

Naruto nodded. "So, this will be easy and quick, right?"

Sakura nodded in reply. Naruto grinned.

"I gotta see this…" He snickered.

"Don't go in there smirking like that, he'll know something's up and then he won't go into the trance easy." Sakura told him sternly.

"Alright… Alright…" He muttered unhappily. They both walked inside, finding Sasuke still lying on the ground, waiting for them, staring out into the small hole in the ceiling, out into the cloudy blue sky. He glanced over when he noticed his teammates walking in.

"Alright, Sasuke. Sit up please." Sakura said calmly. She sat down in front of Sasuke, while Naruto took his position behind him.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke growled.

"Just sit up, Sasuke." Naruto retorted.

Sasuke sighed impatiently and sat up on his knees, facing Sakura.

"Ok. I'm sitting up. Now what?"

"Just wait, Sasuke. I'm going to help you sleep, alright?" Sakura asked.

Sakura took his arm in her hand, placing her other on the back of his neck. She moved his arm back and forth slowly and calmly for a few seconds.

"Alright, Sasuke. Just listen to me. I want you to relax your whole body. Start from your toes, then gradually move all the way up to your head." Sasuke very reluctantly started.

**Sasuke:**

Sasuke obliged, relaxing his toes first, then moving up to his feet, then ankles, then legs, and up. He was amazed that it was working, and that he was actually starting to feel relaxed. As he moved up to his stomach, he felt his body getting heavy. It felt more even more relaxing. He couldn't recall the last time feeling this way. He couldn't even recall if he had ever _been_ this relaxed before.

As he worked his way to his chest, the heavy feeling continued. He became less and less aware of Sakura's gentle grip on his arm, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. Maybe that was what was so relaxing. No… it had to be his body getting heavy.

Then, he heard Sakura's words.

"As the relaxation grows in your body... Your body will feel heavier and heavier, and you will feel more and more relaxed with every second that goes by. Your eyes will feel heavy, and all the pain in your body will seem to… leave. Just leave…"

Sakura's voice seemed to melt when she spoke, and it made Sasuke feel drowsy. He wanted to close his eyes and just drift.

"Keep your eyes open for a little longer, and keep them focused on mine, but let your consciousness drift away slowly. As you continue to relax your body, your eyes will feel heavier and heavier…"

Sasuke had relaxed his body up to his shoulders. He was about to go farther when he felt a gentle pull and his body drifted.

**Team 7:**

"Keep your eyes open for a little longer, and keep them focused on mine, but let your consciousness drift away slowly. As you continue to relax your body, your eyes will feel more and more heavy…" Sakura stopped in the middle of her sentence, and before Naruto could ask why, she had tugged on Sasuke's arm. It wasn't violently, but it wasn't lightly either.

At the same time as the arm tug, she said "Sleep." Sternly.

His eyes rolled in the back of his head, as he fell forward, Sakura caught him so his forehead was on her shoulder and she rocked his limp body back and forth gently for a few seconds, whispering a calming "Shh… Shh…" to quiet his mind.

She slowly slid her hand under his forehead and brought his head up so it was front of her instead of the side of her, and then she quickly started rolling his head around in a circular motion, just like before back in the tree.

"Alright… you are in my trance. Listen to what I have to say. Every time my finger comes in contact with your forehead, you are going to double the relaxation you are in right now."

She stopped the head rolling, touching one single finger to his forehead, and at the same time, saying "Doubling your relaxation."

She poked his forehead with two fingers this time. "Now, even doubling that."

Three fingers. "Tripling the relaxation you are experiencing." She continued, lulling his mind into a deeper and deeper state of unconsciousness. She rolled his head in a circular motion about five more times, preventing him from leaving the deep trance she had put him into.

"Repeat this sentence and this sentence only: "I will listen to you."" Sakura told him, stopping the head roll again.

It was barely audible, but Naruto could just hear Sasuke repeating it from behind. He glanced over, seeing Sasuke's head down, supported by Sakura's hand, and his lips slightly moving as he spoke unconsciously. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. He never thought Sasuke would actually listen to somebody like that.

"Ok, I know you're listening to me. Here's what we are going to do. I am going to count backwards from three, and when I say one, you will be wide away. Except when I put one finger on your forehead, you will fall back asleep, and you won't wake up again no matter what until tomorrow morning, when you are ready to wake up. If you understand me say: "yes Sakura""

Once again, Sasuke's lips parted as he mumbled the exact words. "Yes Sakura." "Good." She said, rolling his head in circles again.

"Ok, once I get to one, and you wake up, you are going to fall onto Naruto, and you'll wake very comfortably and calmly on Naruto."

Naruto gave her a surprised look, but at the same time nodded and waited for Sasuke with open arms.

"Three… you feel you body being lifted from the darkness, yet you're still fully relaxed." Sakura muttered, stopping the head roll and lifting his body up so it was possible for him to fall backwards.

"Two… you're getting pulled farther and farther away, but you are not losing your relaxation." She lifted him more; he was now sitting up, and could fall backwards now.

"One." She said, louder than the others. Sasuke immediately fell backwards, and Naruto caught him, gently lowering him into his lap. His head rolled to the side, then his eyebrows furrowed. His eyelids gently lifted, revealing his stunning onyx eyes. He glanced up at Naruto; his eyes looked glazed over with so much relaxation.

_I wonder how long it has been since he's felt this much relaxation?_ Naruto wondered. He glanced over at Sakura, who was standing over him. She placed a warm hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently.

"Fill your mind with dreams to ease the trauma away." She whispered. Sasuke was about to ask what she was talking about, but she placed a single finger on his forehead. Sasuke's eyes fluttered, then rolled in the back of his head and he sunk into another deep sleep, this time, in Naruto's lap. Sakura lifted his body back up again, rolling his head around in a circle.

"Even though he's not in hypnosis, since he's in a trance-like state, this should still work." She whispered to him. "But verbal won't."

She placed his head on her shoulder; his head was facing her neck. His forehead and his eyelids were lightly pressed against the side of her neck. She rocked him back and forth calmly by rocking her own body. He muttered something in his sleep, eyebrows momentarily furrowing.

"Shh… It's ok. It's ok." Sakura whispered in his ear, stroking through his hair. She knew he couldn't hear him, but it seemed to help him before, so Sakura though she might as well try. Naruto stood up silently, gesturing with his hands that he was going to get something to eat. Sakura nodded in return.

"Can you grab me a pack of crackers?" She asked.

Naruto nodded, "That's what I was grabbing too."

He walked to the other side of the shelter, grabbing some food, and returning to Sakura's side. He set Sakura's crackers down beside her. He glanced at Sasuke's faced, relaxed and peaceful. He had never seen him so relaxed and peaceful. The hypnosis had a huge role, but even simple things like Sakura rocking him seemed to help.

"I've never seen Sasuke so relaxed." Naruto muttered. Sakura nodded, "Yea. He needs it sometimes. Especially when something as traumatizing as this happens. He should've gotten hypnosis or they should've put him into a medical induced coma after his clan's massacre. I'm surprised he could handle that at the age of six." Sakura whispered, stroking through his hair, still rocking his body back and forth. He buried his head more into Sakura's neck and let out a content sigh, positioning his body comfortably in her arms.

"Naruto, grab the blanket." She whispered softly, watching as Sasuke turned his body so his whole body was turned towards Sakura. **(A/N I cannot explain this well. *sweatdrop* so… pretty much... Sakura is sitting up, with her legs criss cross. Sasuke is sprawled opposite of her. Think of them as a plus sign! (+) Sakura is going up and down, Sasuke is going left and right. Only difference is Sakura is supporting Sasuke's back so he's actually curved upwards so his head is resting on Sakura's left shoulder. Now, he just turned his body so it's curled up on his side, but he's facing Sakura. Get it? I hope you do cause I suck at explaining things. ._.)**

Naruto obliged, reaching for the blanket and handed it to Sakura, who draped it over Sasuke, keeping him warm and overall comfortable.

After about ten minutes of rocking him softly, she lied him down on her lap and she straightened her legs, so Sasuke could sleep comfortably. Finally, she was able to eat her breakfast. After finishing, she lied Sasuke's head down on one side of the pillow, then took the other side. She draped the blanket over the both of them, and she scooted closer to him. He snuggled in close to her. **(A/N CUTE!!)** with a small smile on her face, she kissed his forehead lightly, stroking his hair lovingly.

"I love you Sasuke. You'll never know how much." She whispered, pulling him close to her, hugging him loosely to avoid hurting him.

"Goodnight." She whispered to him softly. She buried her head into his black hair, warmed from the sun, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**End.**

**I'm sure all of you readers out there are doing one of the following:**

**Squealing**

**Fainting**

**Bored**

**Thinking it was cool that Sasuke was hypnotized (yes, that's actually how you do it. I bent it a little but that's the rundown! ^_^)**

**Crying that this is possibly the last chapter.**

**Come on guys if you really want this story to continue you HAVE to email!!**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Come on everybody! It's up to you!**

**Review! :D (it's crack to me)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	7. My team is lost!

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 6: My team is lost!**

_Previous:_

_"Goodnight." She whispered to him softly. She buried her head into his black hair, warmed from the sun, and slowly drifted off to sleep._

_Story:_

**Team 7:**

Sakura woke up to somebody lightly shaking her shoulder, whispering "Wake up."

"Let me sleep, Naruto." Sakura mumbled, turning the other way.

"But Sakura, I caught some more fish. I didn't stab it so there wasn't any blood in the water. We don't have to worry about sharks getting lured over here again." Naruto whispered.

"Fine. Leave me alone." Sakura growled impatiently.

"Sakura, we haven't eaten meat in awhile. You need to eat some too. I caught four fish, and we need to cook them still."

Sakura sighed and gave up, slowly sitting up. She glanced over to find Sasuke still in his deep sleep.

"Let me check Sasuke's wounds quickly, then I will." She said. Naruto nodded, grabbing a match and starting the fire. He couldn't help noticing how much of the supplies they had already used. The crackers were half gone, a lot of medical supplies, and few matches had already been used.

He grabbed the fish and started to cook, occasionally glancing up at Sakura, who was doing a different thing every time he looked up at her. One time, she was checking on Sasuke's leg, another time, his arm, then the healing gash on his forehead.

"Oh, and I forgot to tell you that's the plane is pretty much gone now. There's hardly anything left."

Sakura nodded, not taking her eyes off of Sasuke. Naruto sighed, looking up to the sky.

_When's help coming?_ He thought miserably, poking the smallest fish with a sharp stick.

**Kakashi:**

Kakashi strolled silently through the village, his mind muddled with questions.

_Where is my team? They were supposed to alert me when they reached the other village. It's been almost a week now. They couldn't have gotten into trouble could they? Even with the storm, they said it wouldn't go where the plane was heading… _Kakashi wondered. He stopped momentarily, lost in the world of thought.

_Something's not right. They have more than three ways to contact me, and it's impossible for them not to be able to reach me. They couldn't have forgotten, especially with Sasuke there._

Kakashi immediately dashed off towards the direction of the Hokage's office.

"Lady Hokage!"Kakashi yelled, bursting through the door of her office without knocking.

"Kakashi! You can't just barge into here!" Tsunade retorted, standing up from her chair.

"Tsunade we have a problem! I am sure that something happened to my team!" Kakashi said, standing over the giant desk. He put his hands on the desk and leaned over.

"How can you be sure? We haven't received word from them yet. Naruto's probably pulling a prank." Tsunade growled.

"That's exactly the problem. They haven't responded for almost a week now. They have at least three ways to contact us, and they haven't. You know the team. Naruto might want to pull a prank, but do you think with Sasuke there he could pull through with a prank? If he didn't, Sakura or Sasuke would surely contact us. Plus, that storm that came on the day they started flying…"

"The storm headed over an island called Silent Island, which was close to where they were flying, but not close enough where it would hit them." **(A/N in other words, the plane turned towards the island, going into the storm)**

"But what if something happened and they turned towards the storm?" Kakashi raised his voice. "Silent Island is small, and it's the only island around that area! Ships barely sail around that area because it's so far out from the shore!"

"Are you suggesting that their plane crashed on Silent Island?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Kakashi sighed, lowering his voice immediately.

"Kakashi, Silent Island is small. Very small. The chances of them being able to land on that island are slim, and if they were crashing, the chance of them surviving the crash with no medical attention is almost nothing…" Tsunade's voice became a whisper.

Kakashi's lowered his head, pinching his eyes shut tight.

"There's… no chance?"

"The chances of them crashing on the island and them surviving… we're talking less than 5% chance. And if that 5% chance happened to be in their favor, it would come to less than 2% chance of them surviving there. They have no supplies, none of them have survival training, and the both the island and the waters surrounding it have poisonous animals and fish. Kakashi… do you understand what your team would be facing? That's if the beat a 95% chance…"

Kakashi looked at the ground. "We… we have to try to find them." He whispered.

"Kakashi…" Tsunade started, but she was interrupted.

"Lady Tsunade! We have to try! We're talking about the last of the Uchiha clan, and the container for the Nine Tailed Fox. We have to _try_. What if they beat the odds? What if they are living off of that 2% chance right now… and they are trying desperately to live? Fighting for survival? You're going to leave three kids and a pilot out there to die?"

Tsunade didn't reply, lost in thought. The next minutes of silence became uncomfortable for Kakashi. Finally, her honey eyes glanced up at him. "We'll go search for them over Silent Island. However, if we find most of the remains in the water, and no signs of life on Silent Island, we go and never come back. If we don't find much in the water, then we will check back in a month. Got it?"

Kakashi's eyes light up. "Thank you, Lady Hokage." He said with a polite bow.

"Kakashi, just keep the 2% in mind… We will leave tomorrow." She warned. Kakashi nodded, turning around and opening the door.

"We'll find them. It may not be this time, but the next search. We _will_ find them." Kakashi swore, closing the door behind him. Tsunade gave a depressed sigh, as the thought of losing the whole team crossed her mind. She turned to look out the window, and then looked back at the door. The next time she looked at the door, it was blurred with tears. What she didn't know was two more teary eyes were staring at that door from the other side; an uneven mix of black and bloody red.

As Kakashi silently strolled through the village to his home, he glanced in the sky with a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke… where are you guys?" He whispered. His question blew away in the wind, left unanswered. More tears rolled down his cheeks as thoughts of never seeing his teammates again, or worse, finding their bodies dead on the arid white sand, drenched in their own blood. Kakashi broke into a run, getting home much faster than he normally would. He jumped face first onto his bed, breaking into uncontrollable sobbing.

**Team 7:**

"We've got half the day left, what are we going to do?" Naruto asked. Sakura was silently stroking through Sasuke's hair, but she shrugged.

"I need to make sure Sasuke is ok. How about you get some fish, they should last until tomorrow. Sasuke's going to be pretty hungry, so we'll have to make sure he gets enough to eat. He has barely eaten anything since we got here and that's not good." Sakura told Naruto. He nodded approvingly, and then grabbed the fishing pole, and a few crackers. He slowly ambled out of the shelter, making his way to the chilly blue ocean water that isolated the team from any sort of help.

"Alright Sasuke, let's get a quick examination of you while you're sleeping." Sakura said with an unnoticeable sigh. She closed her sea foam eyes briefly, opening them once again in the bright midday sunlight that casted long, blinding rays into the shelter, filling the shelter with a warm, comfortable temperature.

Carefully, Sakura slowly raised Sasuke's arms, sliding his dark blue shirt off, folding it and placing it next to her, abandoning it for the moment. Knowing he wouldn't feel any pain, Sakura took the opportunity to slide her fingers across the wounds to examine how they were healing. She slowly slid her fingers across Sasuke's forehead wound, slowly and gently, she pressed more pressure on the wound. She pressed in multiple locations, feeling for any signs of awkward healing.

Nothing wrong there. The wound could heal as early as tomorrow if she took care of it today. She rubbed more medical cream on it soothingly. Next, she rubbed medical cream on his arm, deciding that nothing was needed there but time to heal. She looked at his leg next, making sure that the stitches were healing it well enough. She would need to take the stitches out soon. One thing was for sure, Sasuke's body couldn't handle any more stress. She knew that bad things could happen to him if he were to suffer too much of it. She would likely have to be using relaxing methods such as the hypnosis technique on him to ease the trauma. Even if Sasuke didn't feel it, it was still lurking in his body, and it could easy damage him mentally, whether he feels it or not. Sakura knew this. The hypnosis may turn into a regular thing for awhile, but he wouldn't sleep for nearly as long as this time. She would have to teach it to Naruto, just in case they were ever separated.

His chest and stomach wounds were taking their time healing, but they had slightly improved from the last time she inspected them. She rubbed more medical cream onto the wound, gingerly sliding her fingertips across as the cream was spread to fully cover the deep gashes that had terrorized his body. She recalled the sheer paranoia as the situation started worsening. She shivered, momentarily breaking from tending Sasuke's wounds.

She could still hear Naruto's piercing shriek "Sasuke!" that immediately told her something was happening. That dreadful call would linger in her mind forever. She wouldn't forget that one word that Naruto had screamed so loudly it could've woken up the whole village in the middle of the night.

Adrenaline rushed when Naruto swam underwater, diving deeper and deeper down into the black abyss below. She remembered her dreadful thought: _with so much blood, sharks will surely be lured over here, and if Naruto can't get Sasuke in time... _She had never finished that thought, because just then, Naruto had burst through the pink water surface, cradling Sasuke's limp body in his arms. By then she could barely make out that it was Sasuke. The only visible parts of him that were showing were his dripping hair, and his face, which was covered in fresh blood. His own blood.

As Naruto swam to shore, Sakura could clearly remember both relief and fear washing over her. Relief that Naruto had gotten Sasuke, but fear that Sasuke was already dead. He certainly didn't look alive, lying limp in his teammate's arms, his body scrunched in a loose ball the way Naruto was holding him. She was slowly seeing more of Sasuke's features, and fear started overlapping her relief. Eventually, she was able to see his features as Naruto padded closer and closer back to the safety of the deserted island. His once beautiful face, fully covered and soaked with runny Uchiha blood. His mouth, slightly hanging open as what she thought was the noise of loud, sickening gurgles, but she couldn't tell if it was the ocean waves or not.

Finally, when he reached shore, all the torment began. She found that Sasuke's throat was making a gurgling noise, but it was soft; the waves had created the other sound that had frightened Sakura beforehand. But the paranoia had just begun. Sasuke's body temperature was dropping severely, and he was losing too much blood. His wounds would become infected easily, but there was no real hospital supplies to help him. The most useful supply they had was morphine. At the moment, the only thing running through her mind was _don't die Sasuke! Don't die! Don't die!_ She could remember how bad he trembled in fear and confusion. She wished that she could've said something, been able to sink her consciousness into his own and comfort him. Calm him down, and speak to him, so he wouldn't be drowning in confusion. He hadn't known a thing. She didn't even know what he remembered. He might not have even remembered that he was fishing. The last thing that he might have thought happened was that he was sleeping in the shelter. His mind was so traumatized at that specific moment that he could've thought almost anything.

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted as Sasuke let out a small moan, inching towards the warmth of her body heat. She smiled sweetly, lifting him into her arms and rocking him gently. He reacted by snuggling into the crook of her neck, letting out a contented sigh that she knew he would never do while awake. Stroking his black bangs, she placed her chin on the top of his head, still rocking him ever so gently to keep his mind at ease.

"I wish I could put your take away your pain." She whispered to him quietly. Sasuke nudged her again, giving yet another happy sigh. She could feel his chest rise and fall, and she fought back the tears of happiness that threatened to fall. She couldn't believe he was there, living, breathing, moving on from what had happened. When he had come to the shore, Sakura was sure he wouldn't make it. Especially since she had to put him to sleep to block out the agony of the wounds. He could've easily went comatose, and never wake again. How could they cope? Sasuke wouldn't have the supplies they needed to survive in a coma.

His eyes fluttered, but didn't reveal their beautiful onyx. He turned his head, this time the bridge of his nose was pressed onto Sakura's shoulder blade. His breaths deepened slowly. Sakura placed her hand on the back of his head, gently pressing his head close to her shoulder.

It was this when Naruto walked into the shelter, two larger sized fish dangling limply from the same hook. Naruto grinned, "Caught a couple fish!" He said happily. He grabbed a match and lit it, burning the few sticks and logs that still remained in the fire pit. As he waited for the fire to grow, he glanced at Sakura and Sasuke.

"I'm going to guess you moved him to that position?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shrugged. "Kinda. He snuggled into me a little bit too." Naruto blinked in surprise, poking the fish that he had just put over the fire. He glanced back at the supplies, suddenly realizing something.

"Hey… have you checked the other medical kit? Not the one from the survival kit, but the one from the plane?" Sakura's eyes widened, realizing that there was more supplies.

"Hand me the kit, will ya?" Naruto nodded, curling his fingers around the small handle, and handing it to Sakura.

"Thanks." She said with a curt nod. She zipped it open and examined its contents.

Extra medical bandages and tape, more syringes, pretty much extra supplies, except one thing stood out more than anything. It contained anesthesia, both gas and liquid. The gas was supplied in a small steel tank, and the liquid was held in three bigger vials labeled 'anesthesia' in bold.

"Perfect… I should've looked through this before Sasuke got attacked!" Sakura said. She glanced back at Sasuke, sleeping peacefully in her arms.

"It… it has anesthesia in it!" Sakura gasped. Naruto whipped his head around.

"What!? We have anesthesia?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Both gas and fluid. If anything happens, we can use it. Most likely, it will be Sasuke. If that's the case, we can use both the liquids on him, or he can breathe himself to sleep if he wants." Naruto grinned. "That's good."

Sakura nodded again, stroking Sasuke's hair before gently laying him back down, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. She draped the blanket over him, and he snuggled into it happily.

"Sleep well." She whispered to him, brushing the bangs out of his eyes one last time before glancing at Naruto.

"When you're done eating, I need to teach you something." She said.

Naruto moaned, already eating a mouthful of burning hot fish. "Whaaaaaaaaat? We're stranded on an island fighting for survival, and you expect me to get an academy lesson? NO THANK YOU!" He muttered with a mouthful of food.

"You might want to learn it actually. But either way, you need to know hypnosis." Naruto blinked, swallowing the fish in his mouth.

"What? Really? Awesome!" He yelled. Sasuke flinched in his sleep. Sakura put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, rubbing it gently to lull him back once again.

"Shh… Sasuke's trying to sleep." She hissed, instantly bringing Naruto's annoying shouting to a halt.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly, glancing back at Sasuke wrapped around loosely in the faded blue blanket, his back turned to them.

"He's still sleeping." She sighed, giving Naruto a sharp glare.

"Good." Naruto said in his normal voice, this time more quietly than before.

"So why do I need to learn this?" He asked Sakura.

"Because, in case we ever get separated, you need to know it. Especially with Sasuke. With all the trauma he just suffered, it's most likely going to be a daily thing for awhile. Sasuke may not feel it, but it still lurks inside of his body. He needs to take care of the trauma or bad things will happen." She sighed. Naruto finished the fish, leaving the second one for Sakura.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked her.

"Not now. Not really hungry."

"In that case yes!" He said cheerfully.

As she taught him easy hypnosis, Sasuke slept the time away. He wouldn't be awake until tomorrow.

The lesson took a mere twenty minutes. Once they were done, they decided to take a break. Sakura ate her fish next to Sasuke in silence. Naruto doodled in a notebook, drawing sloppy ramen bowls to ease his boredom.

"Alright..." Sakura finally spoke. "I'm bored. We need to do something." She sighed.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You think?" He muttered.

They couldn't do anything with Sasuke asleep. Naruto just continued to draw, while Sakura just stayed by Sasuke's side.

Night finally came by, Naruto and Sakura each took a side by Sasuke. Sakura pressed into Sasuke's curled figure for warmth. They both fell asleep immediately.

**End!!**

**Alright… this chapter is done.**

**Come on people… I am on the brink of ending this story. PLEASE!! IDEAS!!**

**Thanks to:**

**~Happy Shiro-chan for the idea of this chapter!!**

**Look forward to the next chapter!! I am writing it! :D**

**I decided if enough people give me ideas… but not a lot, I might just shorten the book. That way, it will finish… but it will suck. If you want it long, IDEAS NEED TO BE WRITTEN!!!!!**

**Thanks for reading!! ^_^**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	8. I Love You

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 7: I Love You**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Keep em coming people! ;) Ideas are running short.**

**Thank you to the people who actually give me ideas… you guys ROCK!! :D**

**This chapter might be boring for the readers who don't like SasuSaku.**

**For the people who like SasuSaku, you'll love this one!**

**This was supposed to come somewhere around chapters 12-13, but I'm running out of ideas, and had to put it out early. It ruined the moment now. TT__TT**

**Thank you for reading (the few that stick with me)**

_Previous:_

_Night finally came by, Naruto and Sakura each took a side by Sasuke. Sakura pressed into Sasuke's curled figure for warmth. They both fell asleep immediately._

_Story:_

The morning sunlight rays glistened on Naruto's skin, submerging his eyes in warmth and brightness, waking him from the peaceful dream-filled sleep. He blinked sleepily, stretching his arms and giving a silent yawn. As he lowered his arms, his elbow accidently bumped onto Sasuke's curled back. Flinching, he silently prayed he wouldn't wake Sasuke up earlier than what he was supposed to do. When the hypnosis wore off, he would still be sleeping until he body was ready to wake up. He gave a thankful sigh of relief when Sasuke's deep breaths remained ceaseless.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking away the remainder of his tiredness from the night. He stood up, padding over to the pile of supplies, grabbing the fishing pole and a few crackers. He noticed that the crackers were just about gone. He sighed, and walked out of the shelter wordlessly as he stabbed the hook through the cracker.

~*~

Sakura woke up a mere five minutes after Naruto did. As she yawned, she was aware of Naruto's absence, and that Sasuke was shuffling to the side. His back was turned to her now, she could feel that his hand that was touching her lower arm was gone. She opened his eyes slowly, the first thing they landed on was the Uchiha symbol on Sasuke's back. She focused her eyes on it, thinking about just how blood stained his family really was. Of all the things that could've happened to Sasuke, she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him as he was. An attitude is very minimal.

The worst thing that had come out of it was that he had developed a fear to love. He was afraid of it. Love would haunt his memories forever. He had loved his family, and that was all he had. He never had any friends, so when he lost his whole entire family in one night, fear was the negative result. Sasuke refuses to love, saying that it only makes him weaker. He doesn't want to love in fear that he'll lose the person again. He already lost everything once, and he couldn't be able to carry the burden of losing another because he wasn't there or too weak. The outcome saddened Sakura.

Sasuke shuffled again, now he faced Sakura. He curled into a smaller ball, extending his hands only halfway, so they weren't pressed against his chest, but not sprawled out at the same time. His hands ironically happened to rest on Sakura's. She blushed a little, blinking as she had just awoken from a breathtaking dream. She cupped one of his hands in hers, gently brushing the top of his hand with her fingertips. Her eyes settled onto Sasuke's beautiful features. He seemed even more handsome asleep than when he was awake. How soft his eyelids rested, how soft and calm his breaths were, how relaxed his face was, he looked so peaceful and carefree, like he wasn't carrying the weight of his clan's death on his shoulders or the wounds from the shark.

Sasuke's breath hitched momentarily, as he moved slightly, but didn't turn, then the breaths became even again as he went limp again. Sakura stroked his jet hair gently with one hand, still holding Sasuke's hand with her other. She sighed, continuously stroking his bangs softly.

Suddenly, Sasuke's beautiful onyx eyes opened. Stunning midnight black clashed with sea foam green as they softly gazed at each other.

"Good morning Sasuke, how are you feeling?" She asked him, resting the hand she used for stroking his hair over his bangs gently. Her fingers were gently placed over his ear. He closed his eyes again, sighing deeply.

"I'm tired." He whispered. Sakura gave him a warm smile. Without warning, she sat up, leaning against the wall for support, and she pulled Sasuke's body into her lap. Sasuke's back rested against her legs, while her arm supported his head and neck.

"I know. You may feel like that for awhile yet." She whispered, gently kissing Sasuke's forehead. He glanced up momentarily, before closing his eyes briefly and rubbing his eyes.

"Do you want to sleep?" Sakura asked him, noting how tired he looked.

"How long did I sleep?" He asked her, completely ignoring her question.

Sakura sighed. "Well, you've been asleep since the time I did hypnosis on you…"

"So only a few minutes?" He interrupted her. She noticed that he didn't seem upset that she didn't tell him what she was doing.

Sakura sighed again. "No, I hypnotized you yesterday, and you slept through the whole day."

"What!?" Sasuke gasped. "I thought you'd wake me." His voice lowered to a growl.

"I'm sorry Sasuke. You may not notice, but you are still in trauma. You needed the rest to recover from it. You may not feel it, but it still lurks in your body, so I did what I had to do. Trust me Sasuke, it would be very bad to have let you walk around for the day, so I had to do it. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I knew you'd protest if I told you what I was doing." Sakura half whispered, saddened that Sasuke was mad at her.

Surprisingly, Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed, calming himself down.

"It's alright." He whispered, smiling at her.

Sakura gaped at him. _Sasuke… _He lolled his head to the side, into Sakura's stomach, giving a contented sigh. Sakura could tell he was starting to drift. She stroked his bangs gently again, waiting for him to fall asleep.

Just as she thought he was sleeping, she heard him whisper her name.

_"Sakura…"_ He whispered, snuggling more into the warmth her stomach provided.

"Hm? What is it?" She asked.

He took a deep breath before speaking again.

_"I love you."_ He murmured softly, resting his hand on the hand she wasn't using, which was on top of his dormant arm.

His response left Sakura speechless. Her mouth dropped open and she stared unbelievably at Sasuke. She was about to say something to him in return, but he was already asleep, his breaths evened out.

Sakura sighed, pressing him lightly against her in an awkward hug. She stroked his cheeks, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, seeing an almost unnoticeable blush on his face that nobody would've caught except her.

_"I love you too, Sasuke."_ She whispered ever so softly, gently propping him up a little higher. He was now resting the side of his head against Sakura's shoulder. Now her arm supported his back. She pressed his head against her shoulder gently. He sighed and unconsciously snuggled into the new warmth. Sakura smiled, continuing to stroke his hair.

It was this that Naruto walked into, with three rather large fish in hand.

"Are these fish eatable?" Naruto asked, then stopped when he realized where Sasuke and Sakura were.

"Sorry." He whispered, glancing at Sasuke. "Is he ok?" Naruto asked worryingly.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, he's just fell back asleep. And yea, those fish are eatable" She whispered.

"He woke up?" Naruto asked, a clear look of surprise on his face.

"Yes… but what's surprising is… what he said." She glanced down at him after the 'is' and momentarily stopped stroking his head. He pressed his face into her shoulder more.

"What he said?" Naruto said in utter confusion.

Sakura nodded once again. "He… loves me." She said, resting her cheek on his head gently. She sighed softly, and continued the stroking.

"What!?" It took all he had not to scream, but even speaking, Naruto was still loud. Sasuke winced in his sleep and moved his head so his face was buried into Sakura's shoulder.

"Shh… Quiet down. He's not under the hypnosis anymore." Sakura hissed. Sasuke let out a noise that almost sounded like a slightly deeper dogs whine. "Idiot." He murmured softly, opening his eyes halfway. Sakura stroked his hair soothingly.

"Shh… go back to sleep, Sasuke." She whispered, lulling him back into his peaceful dreams. His eyes fluttered softly, and his breaths evened out again as he was soothed to sleep. Sakura looked at his eyes, determining that they could speak again without disturbing him.

"Alright… just stay quiet and he won't wake up again." She whispered to Naruto, who only nodded for a reply.

"Sorry." He whispered, closing his eyes while sighing.

Sakura nodded. "It's fine. He's already asleep again." She smiled gently, stroking the hair out of Sasuke's eyes. He replied by unconsciously nuzzling Sakura's neck.

"So… he loves you?" Naruto asked, much more quietly than last time.

Sakura gave a curt nod, looking back at him, but the only thing she could see was one of his gently closed eyes and his jet black hair. "Yes. He meant it too. He was comforted by me, and just before falling asleep, he whispered it to me." She murmured.

Naruto nodded. "Wow. That's pretty surprising." He said, blinking calmly.

Sakura nodded again. "You ready to cook that fish?" She asked, pointing the fish that Naruto was still holding in his hands.

"Yea." Naruto half whispered. He grabbed a match, quickly lighting it and started the fire. The fire crackled loudly as ashes rose into the air. Another burst of warm air blanketed his skin. He placed the fish over the fire and roasted them quietly. He turned around as he heard something from Sasuke. He thought he was waking up, but it was only him mumbling something in his sleep, his eyebrows furrowing slightly before relaxing again. He glanced at Sakura, who glanced back at him with a small smile on his face.

"Fighting jounin in his sleep." She joked, giggling quietly. Naruto laughed quietly to avoid waking him back up again. She stroked his hair delicately, her fingertips barely touching him as she brushed through steadily. His breath brushed against the side of her neck as he sighed contently.

About fifteen minutes later, the fish were ready. Sakura carefully laid Sasuke down, draping the blanket over him and moving the pillow under Sasuke's head. He lolled his head to the side, lifting his arm halfway to stretch, and then rested it beside him, this time over the blanket. His other hand was still under the blanket, resting lightly on his stomach. He gave a deep sigh, his eyes never opening.

Satisfied, Sakura kissed his forehead, her soft lips brushed against his warm skin slowly. She walked over next to Naruto, grabbing one of the two fish remaining. She sat down and ate in silence. Her eyes fixated on the fish, only moving to look at Sasuke, who had turned on his side and curled into a little ball, his arms fisted underneath his head.

A mere five minutes after eating, Sasuke's beautiful onyx eyes fluttered open, fixating on Sakura, who hadn't noticed him awakening. He sighed softly, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth of the fire burst onto his skin. When he opened them again, he focused his eyes onto the dying flames.

Sakura looked back at him, noticing that his eyes had opened.

"Oh Sasuke, you're awake." She said, walking over to him. "We cooked a fish for you. You have to eat, Sasuke. You are malnourished and need to get your weight back." The smell of fish flooded his nose, and his stomach silently growled. He sat up with a sigh, slowly getting to his feet and shakily walking over by the fire. He grabbed the last fish by the stick going through his body. **(A/N think of the forest of death)** He sat next to Sakura, taking a bite and chewing slowly, trying to avoid conversation with her until they were alone. He was still embarrassed, and he silently thanked the heavens for not letting his teammates see the blush forming on his cheeks. Naruto was first to finish; he abandoned the stick, and slowly stood up, stretching with a yawn.

"I think I'm going to go see if there's any fruit around here." He said. Sasuke couldn't have asked for a better time to talk to Sakura. His prayer was answered. But would Sakura allow him to go alone?

"Go ahead Naruto, but not too far." She sighed.

_Perfect._ Sasuke thought, taking another bite of the seemingly tasteless ocean fish. He picked up the pace on eating. Naruto checked his kunai supply, and grabbed the tan book bag.

"I'll carry the fruits in here." He said, taking out the notebooks in it.

Sakura nodded, "Grab the hat and gloves too. Just in case something is poisonous or anything. We can't risk getting anybody else sick." She told him. Naruto nodded, slipping the thick gloves on, and putting the small cap over his messy head. He nodded a small goodbye to his teammates before dashing outside to find some fruits.

~*~

Sakura finished her fish and was getting ready for the day when she noticed Sasuke had put down his food, making no attempt to finish the half eaten meat. He just stared unconsciously at it, like he was in a trance. Sakura watched him, noticing his eyes were clouded with thoughts, and he looked somewhat uncomfortable.

She slowly took a couple steps towards him. "Sasuke… You ok?" She whispered to him a little worried, zapping him out of his state. He gave a deep sigh, closing his eyes and waiting a few seconds before opening them again. His eyes slowly drifted from the half eaten fish to Sakura.

"Sakura… I…" He didn't know where to start. What should he say? What would make this situation less uncomfortable? What if he said something wrong? He hadn't ever loved anybody.

But Sakura had read his thoughts. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I wasn't able to respond to you before. You fell asleep." She sighed, giving him a warm smile from her heart. She stood up and walked over to Sasuke, kneeling down in front of him and embracing his body tightly.

"I love you too." She whispered in his ear. His blank stare ahead of him was interrupted as he looked at Sakura, but all he could see was her pink hair. He closed his eyes and leaned into her, embracing her own small body back. They stayed like that for a whole minute before they broke the hug.

"Sasuke…" She whispered, tears swelling up in her eyes. They weren't of sadness though; they were filled with sheer happiness. Spilling over her eyes, they ventured down her warm cheeks, dripping onto the wooden planks underneath her feet. She leaped into his arms, crying in ecstasy. Sasuke held her tightly, smiling as her warmth surrounded him, wrapping him in a thick blanket.

It was then that Naruto dashed into the room, in the bag was a large, nearly overflowing with all the fruits. He was even carrying tons in his hands.

"Sasuke! Sakura! I found a place where there was a bunch of fruits! Bananas, apples, grapes… a whole bunch of stuff!" He said happily, dropping the fruits he was carrying on the ground, which were the same exact fruits that he had mentioned, and nothing more. Sakura broke the hug, wiped away her tears, and examined the fruits one by one. All of the fruits were extremely healthy. The bananas were as yellow as they could be, while there wasn't a bruise on the apples, and since the grapes were on the top of the bag, none were squished. None of them were infested with bugs either. Naruto had found a very good place for fruits.

"There's still more untouched fruits over there, but I didn't want to let those go to waste." He continued, picking up an apple and took a bite.

Sakura looked at Sasuke's stomach, noticing how malnourished his body was. She nudged him gently on the shoulder. "Come on, you need to eat. I probably weigh more than you right now." She muttered. Sasuke sighed, not wanting to argue with his girlfriend. He stood up, and walked over to the fruit pile, grabbing a banana. He ate the banana slowly, feeling a strength he hadn't felt in a long time. Sakura chose some grapes and sat down next to him, leaning onto his shoulder.

"You need to eat so you can get your strength back. You don't even look like Sasuke anymore." She noted.

Sasuke nodded. "I will. I was sick and injured and couldn't eat." He sighed, taking another bite.

"I'll go get some fish for you to eat. Naruto, do you want any?" Sakura asked. Naruto shook his head.

"Sakura… I…" Sasuke was about to tell her that he could fish, but he was interrupted by her.

"It's ok, Sasuke. You probably shouldn't fish for awhile until some of those nasty wounds of yours are healed. Don't go into the water, Sasuke. We don't want another accident." She lowered her voice when she said the last sentence.

Naruto momentarily stopped eating, lowering his food and staring lost in thought at it. Sasuke, who had already finished his food, looked to the ground. He could faintly remember everything that happened. He could clearly recall his emotions, his fright, his _pain_ as the shark clamped down on his leg, and dragged him underwater. The pain that his filled his lungs as he sucked in water, drowning in his own blood. The last thing he heard: Sakura's call. The last thing he saw: Naruto faintly swimming down to rescue him. Everything was black after that. He closed his eyes, and started to badly shiver at the thought. Sakura grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around his shaking body. He jumped when he felt something wrap around him, but relaxed when he realized it was only the blanket. Sakura noticed this, and rubbed his shoulder sadly.

_It'll be awhile yet before he can go near the water. He's still pretty shaken up. Just another reason why the hypnosis should be done daily for awhile._ Sakura thought. She carefully sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him comfortingly. She stroked through his hair a couple of times. When Sasuke relaxed in her arms, she loosened her grip on him, allowing him to sit up.

"I'll go catch you a fish." She told him, slowly standing up. She grabbed the fishing pole and a cracker. She winked at him with a smile as she walked outside towards the ocean. Sasuke kept his gaze on her, not letting her out of his sight.

"Why are you just staring at her?" Naruto asked Sasuke after awhile. Sasuke blinked, looking up at Naruto momentarily before going back to staring back at Sakura. The only thing that came from him was a soft _hn._

"You don't want the same thing to happen to her, huh?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded slightly. Looking to the ground, right in front of his feet.

"I… I don't want her to get hurt. I'd go into the ocean and dive in myself to rescue her if I had to." Sasuke said, his tone dead serious.

"You really love her, don't you?" Naruto asked.

"More than anything." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I can't lose anybody else in my life."

Naruto patted his shoulder. "I know." He whispered back. Sasuke went back to watching Sakura. He watched as she yanked her pole up and a fish came flying into the sky. She reeled the line in, the fish still struggling weakly. Then she slowly made her way back to the shelter.

"She caught one." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded. "Good! I hope you'll still eat." He laughed. Sasuke nodded back to him. He watched Sakura all the way until she reached the shelter. The once struggling fish was now limp and motionless.

"Caught one." She snickered. Sasuke nodded with a smile.

"Good job." He praised her.

"Thanks." She said back.

As she prepared the fish for Sasuke to eat, she started to talk to Sasuke about the daily hypnosis plan. At first, he was a little reluctant, but then he finally agreed to it, as long as it wouldn't be all day like last time. Sakura promised not to, unless absolutely needed. She also told him that she taught Naruto as well.

"Can you go though the hypnosis right before you eat? This will take about five more minutes. Naruto can try his skill this time. If he really stinks, you won't even fall asleep, if he just plain stinks at it, and he can't wake you up, I'll do it. It's not dangerous if he tries it on you for his first time." Sasuke was skeptical that Naruto could do it, but he agreed to let Naruto try.

Naruto laughed. "I'm going to knock you out so quickly." Naruto snickered, sitting down in front of Sasuke.

"Hn. Just don't do anything to me while I'm asleep." He said.

"I'll make sure he doesn't." Sakura said.

Naruto's smile stretched from ear to ear and he laughed. "You ready?" He said. Sasuke nodded slowly, a bit uneasy with how Naruto was acting.

"Just relax." Naruto said as he took Sasuke's hand and started swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. Sasuke did so, but he didn't nearly feel as relaxed as he did when Sakura did it. He didn't think it would work when Naruto tried it, but just then he felt the tug. His mind sunk somewhere into his body.

Naruto snickered as Sasuke slumped onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto ginned and rocked him back and forth gently.

"I did it!" He whispered very quietly to Sakura. Sakura smiled back to him and nodded.

"Finish it." She said. Naruto nodded, still rocking Sasuke back and forth calmly.

"Deeper and deeper." Naruto whispered in Sasuke's ear. "Every gentle swing sends you deeper and deeper into relaxation."

"Good, that's all you need." Sakura whispered. "Deepest relaxation. Now wake him up." She told Naruto. He nodded.

"Alright, Sasuke. I'm going to count backwards from three. When I reach one, you will be wide awake, and you'll feel like you've had a full ten hours of sleep. Three… Two… One! Wide awake, fully rested." Almost immediately, Sasuke's eyes opened slowly. He blinked a couple times.

"Hey, I told you I would knock you out." He laughed. Sasuke realized he was against Naruto's chest, and he sat up quickly, regaining his posture.

"Good job, Naruto." Sakura told him, taking the fish off the dying fire.

"Here's your fish Sasuke." She said, handing him the fish on the stick.

"Thanks." He whispered, but made no attempt to eat it.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Just a little dizzy and tired." Sasuke replied.

"That's from the hypnosis. It should go away soon." Sakura said. Sasuke nodded, taking a small bite of fish. He ate the fish silently, wondering what the team was planning on doing for the day.

He finished the fish, and they sat in silence. Naruto was redrawing his sloppy ramen bowls. Sakura was watching him, helping him draw them every once in awhile. Sasuke just watched them.

Boredom was starting to kick in. With nothing to do, they didn't do much at all. By the time night finally fell, they went to bed early. There was nothing else to do. They all settled down next to each other, covering up with the thin blanket. Sasuke was the first one asleep. It was only about five minutes after they had settled into the blankets when he fell asleep. Naruto and Sakura were up another half an hour before they both slowly fell asleep. Normally, Naruto and Sakura would've chatted for awhile, but it was cold so they didn't want to get out the covers, and Sasuke was in the middle and they didn't want to wake him up. Out of the two, Naruto was the first one asleep, but Sakura fell asleep mere minutes after him.

~*~

Sakura awoke to trembling on her back. She blinked open her eyes, realizing it was still pitch black outside. She groped for the flashlight, and when she found it, she flicked it on, shining it to the side of her so she wouldn't wake her teammates. That's when she became aware of small whimpering noises. She turned her body, to face Sasuke. She immediately gasped when she realized the shivering and whimpering was coming from him. She sat up quickly, instantly seeing what was wrong with him. Sasuke was facing her, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. He was pressed closely to Sakura, and he was curled into a small ball, the blanket abandoned on the ground below his feet. She saw Naruto's arm sprawled over Sasuke's shoulder. She glanced at Naruto, sprawled out, the blanket kicked off.

_Idiot._ Sakura thought as she removed Naruto's hand from Sasuke's shoulder. She knew that Naruto had kicked the blanket off of Sasuke too. Was that why he was trembling? But why was he acting so… scared? I mean, he was curled into a ball tightly. Not loosely like he normally did. His eyes were pinched shut tightly too. And whimpering definitely wasn't like Sasuke. He must've been having a nightmare.

His whimpering increased, and he eventually started muttering incoherent. Then, he let out a mangled scream, and he flinched, tucking himself into an even tighter ball that looked almost painful and covering his head with his hands. He started to hyperventilate, and sweat poured from his body. A muddled moan escaped from his lips, then a loud, pained whimper came out.

_"please… no…"_ He whispered, barely audible.

Sakura got worried as he tucked his chin down, and tried to cover his head more.

"Sasuke" Sakura whispered, trying to wake him up from the chaotic nightmare he was drowning in. No luck.

"Sasuke." She said louder, trying not to wake Naruto up. She started to shake him.

"Sasuke!" Sasuke's eyes darted open, as he let out a gasp of surprise, still taking in his surroundings. He couldn't tell if he was still in the nightmare or not. He gasped, his screams still mangled as he covered his head again.

"No!" He screamed.

"Sasuke! Calm down!" Sakura said, instantly wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.

"Calm down… Calm down…" She whispered to him over and over, trying to comfort him. He screamed when he felt hands grab him, but stopped when he recognize who it was. His screaming stopped, but he still hyperventilated badly. Sakura worried he was going to pass out.

"Please calm down Sasuke…" She whispered, wondering how in the world Naruto hadn't woke up to Sasuke's screaming. Tears were flowing through his eyes freely.

Sasuke just kept hyperventilating hysterically. He turned his head so the bridge of his nose was resting into the side of Sakura's neck. Her neck was instantly soaked with Sasuke's tears.

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, stroking his hair gently to calm him down. Very slowly, he started to calm down. His sobbing turned to hiccups, and he snuggled his head into her neck more. He started to continue crying softly. Sakura did her best to quiet him. He hugged her tightly, as if he were to let go of her he'd never see her again.

"Sakura…" He whispered, his hands trembling.

"I'm here, Sasuke." She whispered back to him. That's how they sat for the next twenty minutes. Sakura whispering comforting words, and Sasuke crumbling in her arms.

"Sasuke… what did you dream about?" She dared to ask.

Sasuke hiccupped. "My… brother…" He cried. Sakura squeezed him harder, making sure he knew there were people cared.

"It's alright Sasuke… I'm here." She whispered again.

They stayed there, Sakura still stroking Sasuke's hair comfortingly.

"Shh… Hush Sasuke. I'm here."

Forty minutes later, Sakura had finally quieted Sasuke down. More like he had cried himself to sleep, but had been calmed down by Sakura. Her calm voice and soothing touch had lulled him back to sleep, still resting on Sakura. The bridge of his nose was still resting against Sakura's neck. His head was still gently resting against her shoulder. Every time he stiffened, Sakura would rub his head soothingly again, just to make sure the dreams would return.

After twenty minutes of Sasuke sleeping, she finally laid back down. Sasuke's head was still resting against her. She lied on her back, and Sasuke was still laying his head on her shoulder. He was facing her. His hands were tucked in between both of their bodies. She had one hand on her stomach, the other wrapped around Sasuke's body and pressed to his back.

Just before starting to drift off, she whispered one last comforting thing.

_"Sweet dreams, Sasuke. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."_ She kissed his forehead softly, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

**Done!**

**OMG I am so sorry this chapter was late! I have writers block and it suxx. :(**

**Thank you for reading. This chapter was quite long to satisfy you waiting readers.**

**Last chapter, in 5 days, I had only gotten nine hits to the page. That was very, very depressing. Please guys, if you're here, speak up. Review! Read!**

**I am desperate! TT__TT**

**Thank you for reading…**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	9. He Never Forgot How to Love

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 9: He Never Forgot How to Love**

**Alright… this one should be (somewhat) good. This one will have a little action in it. It's not really a romantic one like it seems, I promise. Please review! :)**

**Warning: This chapter is LONG!**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Send story ideas to that email! X)**

**Some of you may be wondering why Kakashi never showed up the next day… well… you'll find out why in this chapter! :)**

_Previous:_

_"Sweet dreams, Sasuke. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."_ She kissed his forehead softly, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

_Story:_

When Sasuke awoke the next morning, the first thing he was greeted with was not his teammates, not the blinding sunlight, but an unpleasant cold breeze that ruffled his already messy hair. Naruto and Sakura were already awake, preparing some fruits together for a breakfast, unaware that he had awoken.

He sat up with a small grunt of pain from one of his ankles, which was unexpectedly throbbing in pain. He hadn't been feeling any soreness lately, so he had no idea how he felt any at all. Maybe he had slept on it wrong? He tried to recall the position he lied the previous night before, and then he gasped as the memory of the nightmare flooded his mind. Memories of Sakura holding him while he cried in her arms washed over him, drowning him in embarrassment. A faded blush formed on his cheeks, but he quickly shook his head, pushing the thoughts to the side. He had other things to worry about. He slowly stood up, stretching his hands and legs quietly, feeling a sharp stinging pain in his muscles that felt like he had just invaded a bees hive and gotten swarmed. It was hard to put pressure and stand. What if something bad happened and they had to escape? He could barely stand, how could he walk?

"Morning Sasuke!" Sakura said with a cheerful smile, taking a ripe banana and a couple grapes and setting them down in front of Sasuke. He nodded a small thanks, before sitting cross-legged and unpeeling the banana. Naruto sat down next to him, taking a bite out of a red apple.

"There's gonna be a storm. A big one, too." He half whispered to Sasuke, who gave him a small sigh in return.

"Will the shelter withstand it?" Sasuke asked Naruto. He shrugged and turned to Sakura expected her to answer Sasuke's question instead.

She sighed. "I'm not completely sure, but there's a good chance it will. We'll have to take down the tarp above and cover the hole in the inside, and then stab the tarp in with kunai knives, but not let those kunai go all the way through the wood." Sakura said. "Naruto. Can you use shadow clones to take it down?" She asked. Naruto nodded, abandoning the apple core on the ground, and standing up. He walked outside, and then jumped on the roof. Sakura and Sasuke heard a soft _poof_ noise and they knew Naruto had made some shadow clones to help him.

Sakura sat down next to Sasuke. "Are you ok? You look as if you're in pain when standing." She whispered so Naruto didn't hear.

Sasuke nodded, looking down to the ground. "It hurts to stand. There's no way I can walk." He sighed sadly, closing his eyes. Sakura rubbed his back softly. "It's ok, Sasuke. I'm going to have to take out those stitches today anyway. Do you want me to check on your other wounds?" She asked. Sasuke nodded back to her.

"When do you want me to check on them?" She asked him.

"Now if you could." He whispered, his gazing drifting back up to her. She nodded, "Alright. You know I'll have to put you under for that, right?" She asked him.

"How?" He said, his voice almost sounded deeper. Was he mad?

"Naruto and I found anesthesia in the other medical bag we hadn't checked yet. It had both the liquid and the gas." She replied, softening her voice to try to calm him.

"Why do I need to be put under?" He asked.

"I didn't have the right equipment to stitch you up. I don't have the right equipment to remove them. You'll be in agony if you're awake." She muttered.

Sasuke sighed in defeat. He _hated _being put under. He had never admitted it, but he was afraid of anesthesia. The thought of being forced into sleep and not being able to be woken up if anything happened frightened him more than anything. It wasn't a phobia **(A/N not like the author of this book, in other words me. *sweatdrop* I have anesthesia phobia. See my profile)** but it was worrisome enough that he would tremble and get really nervous.

"Just… Just get it over with." He said, feeling his forehead start to burn up with nervousness. Sakura seemed to sense his fear.

"You're scared of anesthesia?" She asked. Sasuke sighed. "Yes." He said, not feeling like arguing. His girlfriend deserved to know, at least. The shelter was instantly lit up slightly from the removal of the tarp above. Sasuke and Sakura both looked up to see nothing but gray skies. The Narutos jumped down by the entrance, throwing kunai to pin the tarp to the ceiling. The Narutos jumped on each other's backs and pinned the other sides of the tarp to the ceiling. They finished rather quickly, then all but one disappeared in a curling wisp of smoke.

"Hey. Whatcha doing?" Naruto grinned at them. Naruto's smile only made Sasuke feel even more uncomfortable. He shuffled uncomfortably, grabbing Sakura's attention. Sakura put her hand over Sasuke's trembling one. He lowered his head slightly, avoiding eye contact with Naruto. He stared at Sakura instead.

"Hey Naruto, I'm going to put Sasuke under so I can remove the stitches. Can you maybe go outside and find something to do until he's sleeping?" She asked, looking back to Sasuke, who gave a slight nod.

"Sure, Sakura. Good luck, Sasuke." Naruto said, turning around to head off to do his own thing. Sasuke watched him walk out the door and take a sharp turn to the right. He sighed deeply.

"Sakura… I'm uncomfortable about this." He said quickly.

"You trust me, don't you?" She asked.

"Of course I do!" Sasuke raised his voice to prove his statement.

"Then don't worry about it, Sasuke. You're in safe hands." She half whispered, reaching for both medical bags. She pulled out the mask, the tube that connected the metal tank-like structure and the black bag that was meant to be squeezed the level the amount of anesthesia. She connected everything together within a few seconds.

"Alright Sasuke. Lie down for me, ok?" She asked him softly, trying to calm him down.

His trembling increased visibly as he lied down very slowly, his face twisted in fear. Sakura brushed the hair out of his face, and he flinched at the touch. She brought her hand back, a little taken aback.

"Sorry." He muttered. "I can't help it. I'm scared." He admitted. She never imagined that she would hear that come out of her boyfriend's mouth, but she brushed it aside.

"It's ok." She whispered. She brought the mask closer to his face. He flinched, his trembling worsening. Sakura stroked his cheeks softly and soothingly, trying to calm him down.

"Relax. You won't remember this when you wake up either, ok?" She said calmly, Sasuke nodded, still shuddering. She brought the mask close to his face. Sasuke's eyes started to shake from the pressure applied to them. Sweat dripped down his burning red face. Sakura put a hand on his cheek.

"Count from ten." She said, lifting her soft, gentle hand from his cheek. He longed to feel it help him fall asleep more calmly, but it never ventured back to his own skin. Instead, he felt the mask press to his face and at the same time the soft _puff, puff_ of the black air container as Sakura simultaneously squeezed it softly. Sasuke forced himself to go against his will and breathe, whispering a lone _"ten" _with it.

"Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…" He whispered, feeling drowsiness swell up inside of him. He kept his eyes focused on Sakura as he continued, trying the best he could to fight the sleepiness. He had lost the fight with his own body to breathe, his body _demanded_ breathing now. Once the anesthesia had dimed his mind only slightly, his body just breathed normally.

"Five… Four…" The drowsiness increased. He fought to stay awake now, his eyelids starting to sag a little, but he kept his semiconscious gaze fixed on Sakura, who kept staring back at him calmly.

"Three…" His eyelids were almost fully closed. Sakura kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight." She whispered to him. He couldn't finish his countdown before his eyelids closed fully and he drifted off into the complete darkness of sleep. Sakura checked his vitals quickly, before shouting for Naruto. She quickly wiped the unnoticed tears from his eyes just before Naruto came dashing through the room.

"Yes?" He asked, panting from an obvious run.

"Keep squeezing this. No harder or softer than how I'm doing it." She said. Naruto nodded, quickly taking over her position. Sakura did a more thorough check on Sasuke's vitals. Naruto glanced at Sasuke's face, which was lolled to the opposite side of him. He looked as if he was just resting, but with the anesthesia mask it kept the painful memory that Sasuke was being drugged and forced into sleep.

_Poor Sasuke._ Naruto thought. _As if he isn't in enough stress._

"Ok, Naruto. He's gotten enough anesthesia. You can stop." Sakura told him. Another cold wind blew into the shelter, making Naruto shiver as he set the black bag down. Sakura unplugged the tube from the tank, stopping the flow of anesthesia. She then attached the black bag to the end, handing it back to Naruto. Next, she took off the mask, leaving just the tube open. She carefully opened Sasuke's mouth, peering inside quickly, then slowly slid the tube down his throat, being extra cautious that she didn't go too far down. Naruto turned away from the sigh that gave him butterflies in his stomach.

"Squeeze the bag just as you were doing before. This will have to do for his oxygen. His throat is going to be sore since I don't have a real breathing tube, but it's important that you keep doing that." She told Naruto as he started to presume squeezing the black bag.

"You mean he can't breathe right now?" Naruto asked worryingly.

"He can breathe, but not as efficiently. It's just a precaution because people can't breathe as good when they are put under. I'm not sure Sasuke knows that I was going to use a breathing tube so don't tell him about it. I'll be the one to tell him so he feels more comfortable about it." Naruto nodded, keeping some of his consciousness on the black bag he was crushing in his hand.

Sakura sat down by his legs, grabbing her supplies and getting to work, carefully removing the stitches. Naruto made a face and turned away, instead concentrating on how much pressure he applied to the little black bag that was helping his teammate breathe.

~*~

An hour and a half later, Sakura was finally done. She had successfully removed the stitches, and she realized it was because of the stitches that Sasuke couldn't stand without pain. Well, she was no medic, but the stitches had possibly saved Sasuke's life before, so it was better to have him alive but immobile then dead. By then, rain had already started pouring outside, making the familiar _tap, _tap noise on the ceiling. She gave Naruto the ok to stop squeezing the black bag that was starting to annoy Naruto and hurt his hand. She cautiously pulled the breathing tube out of his throat, discarding it someplace where Sasuke wouldn't see it when he woke up.

Shuffling through the bag, Sakura found that whoever had put together this first aid kit hadn't added the medicine that would help Sasuke wake up. When she told Naruto, he went hysterical.

"WHAT? HE WON'T WAKE UP!?" He screamed seemingly at the top of his lungs. Sakura covered her ears to try to block out the loudness of Naruto's scream.

"Shh! He'll wake up, Naruto!" Sakura said as quickly as possible.

"Oh." Naruto half whispered.

_I'm gonna kill you for that later!_ Sakura's mind was screaming.

"It only means that it'll take him longer to wake up, and he'll be much _much_ sleepier than before. He probably won't be awake most of the day to sleep off the anesthesia." Sakura said while looking at Sasuke's gentle facial expression. Naruto nodded, "Alright." He said.

"How long until he wakes up then?" He asked Sakura a few seconds later.

"Hmm… Maybe in about ten minutes or so? I meant to put him out for about two hours, but I shortened it a little. Without the medicine to wake him up though, he would sleep in for another extra twenty minutes or so still… so yes. About ten minutes would be accurate." She said.

"Ok." Naruto sighed, waiting for his teammate to wake up for no reason in particular. It's not like he'd be the one comforting Sasuke. Still, it felt right to at least be near him when he woke up.

Sakura pulled Sasuke into her lap, waiting for him to wake up.

About fifteen minutes later, he let out a small whimper as his eyebrows furrowed. He unconsciously clutched Sakura's hand.

"He's waking up." Sakura whispered to Naruto, who glanced at Sasuke. It took Sasuke a couple more minutes before he could get a grasp on consciousness. His eyes opened halfway; his first sight was Sakura's red dress. He blinked a couple times, before glancing back up at Sakura, who smiled back at him.

"S…Saku…ra…" He whispered, he turned his body very weakly so he facing her. He buried his head in her stomach. He curled his body, scrunching into a tight ball. He pressed his arms tightly into his chest and closed his eyes. Sakura stroked his hair very gently, almost _taunting_ him to revisit the abyss of sleep again.

"Go back to sleep, Sasuke. You're not ready to wake up yet." She whispered in his ear ever so gently. Sasuke's breaths almost immediately evened out as sleep wrapped him up in a blanket of warmth. The quiet rain, her voice, and her warmth were enough to lull him into dreams. Thankfully, no cold unpleasant breeze blew while they were getting him back to sleep.

"Naruto… hand me the blanket." Sakura whispered. Naruto nodded, grabbing the thin blanket and handing it to Sakura. She draped it over Sasuke's scrunched up body, trying to keep him as warm as possible so he could get some rest before the storm would probably wake him up constantly. Thunder could already be heard in the distance, followed by a flash of lightning.

"It's cold." Sakura whispered, hugging Sasuke's body tighter to keep him warmer. He was already slightly shivering from the unforgiving winds, which seemed to pick up after every deafening cackle of thunder.

"Naruto… grab all of the medical supplies. Get as much of it as you can packed away into the tan bag. These winds are picking up and just in case the shelter can't hold, we need to get it out. The wooden boards are heavy, and it's heavy enough to crush one of us, it will surely crush some of our most valuable items." Naruto nodded, grabbing everything and piling it close to the entrance, keeping the stuff in the metal box that had contained the crackers, the tan bag, and the medical kits.

Sasuke's eyes opened briefly to glance at Naruto and Sakura drowsily, but they slid shut as he wandered into another uneasy sleep. Sakura had watched him from the moment he had woken up. Sighing softly, she stroked his hair softly for a little bit, saddened to find him shivering from the cold winds outside. Sakura gently picked him up and brought him over towards the very back of the shelter, where the winds were the gentler. She lied him down, and then did the same behind him, using her own stomach as a pillow. The gentle rise and fall continued to keep his mind quiet as he slept, even as the thunder made it impossible for quietness outside.

Sakura was about to talk to Naruto when a deafening roar of thunder broke through the soft tapping of the rain, making the whole team jump. Sasuke's eyes shot open and he sat up frantically. Sakura immediately sat up, watching as Sasuke's drowsiness returned to him, and he fell backwards. Sakura grabbed him, gently lowering his body until he was resting on her lap, where his eyelids slid shut again. His breaths evened out, and he fell into blackness once again. Sakura softly stroked through his hair a few times before gently lying him back down onto the wood, tucking the blanket tighter around him. She walked up to Naruto, who was sitting by the entrance of the shelter, staring out into the pitch black sky, watching as the lightning blinded his vision momentarily. Another strong wind blew past them; this time so strong that Naruto had to hold onto the wood to keep from getting blown backwards. Luckily, Sasuke was already by the wall, so he was only moved a few inches before his curled form touched the wall. His arms and legs touched the wall, and he scrunched into a tighter ball, trying to keep sheltered from the coldness, but with his back getting pounded by the wind, it was difficult for him.

"If this gets any worse, we'll have to get out of here. This storm is bad, and we can't risk being in here anymore. We can always rebuild the shelter if anything. If we have to, you grab the supplies, and I'll get Sasuke. We'll go to the same tree we first took shelter in when we first arrived. Got it?" Sakura asked. Naruto nodded. "Got it." He replied nervously, glancing down at his foot. Sakura shivered with both coldness and uneasiness. She glanced back at Sasuke, sleeping curled up on his side cold, but at ease.

"I hope Sasuke will be ok." Sakura whispered to Naruto.

"Sasuke's fine. He's just sleeping." Naruto responded briefly, before turning his head to watch the oncoming storm. What they were experiencing didn't seem to be the worst of it.

A few minutes later, an earsplitting _boom_ was heard as the thunder formed over him. A blast of wind was so powerful it shook the entire shelter.

"That's it! We're getting out of here!" Sakura screamed. She could barely hear herself over the wind howling deafeningly in her ears. Naruto nodded, grabbing the bag, and then gasping as he heard a loud smacking noise. He looked up to the all of the boards of wood that had held up the shelter collapsing, both the walls and the ceiling. Sakura was about to dash for Sasuke when Naruto got in front of her and leaped straight at her, pushing her through the doorway, and outside of the now collapsed shelter just seconds before they were crushed by the heavy planks.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked frantically, looking at all the fallen wood on top of her crushed teammate. Immediately, another shriek accompanied her own, only it didn't carry a word, it carried a strangled cry of desperation and agony. Tears spilt over Sakura's eyes, dripping onto the already soaked sand. Naruto and Sakura ran to where the source of the scream was trying to move what seemed like an endless amount of wood.

"Sasuke! Hang on!" Sakura screamed to him, trying to move planks away. She couldn't pinpoint Sasuke's location. What if the planks she was throwing out of the way were landing on him, applying more pressure and hurting him worse?

"Look out Sakura! I'm gonna use rasengan!" Naruto said, instantly forming a blue ball of chakra.

"No! You'll hurt Sasuke!" Sakura yelled back to him, watching as Naruto let his rasengan fade from his hand. He joined the search.

"Sasuke! If you can hear me, respond!" Sakura yelled out, her eyes darting to every single board visible.

All that she could hear from him above the rain was his small whimpering, showing that he was close. She pinpointed his location and started desperately throwing planks of wood aside. Finally, she saw one thing: his limp hand. His bloody hand was limp and unmoving. Naruto continued the digging as Sakura gripped his hand tightly, screaming out words of encouragement to him, even though she didn't even know if he was conscious or could hear her through the bellowing thunder and pouring rain.

"Found him!" Naruto finally screamed the words she longed to hear, only when she saw his condition, she wanted nothing more than to turn away. His whole body was covered in blood from head to toe. Sakura could barely see any places on him that weren't completely covered in Uchiha blood. Sakura quickly checked a pulse, finding that it was very weak. He wasn't breathing at all.

"He's not going to last another five minutes! Get to the tree, now!" Sakura screamed, lifting Sasuke from under his armpits into her arms. Not caring about how bloody her clothes would get, she cradled Sasuke tightly, pressing into him to keep him warm and keep his body temperature up. The rain was washing the blood from both his body and Sakura's clothes. Sasuke's face could finally be seen. Sakura was relieved to find that the only thing that was bleeding was his forehead, which could be healed with the medical cream Sakura had.

"Hang on, Sasuke." Sakura whispered, pressing him tighter into her. He didn't move an inch, still lying completely limp and unconscious. Naruto was leading the way, keeping a death grip on all of the supplies. When they finally reached the tree, which seemed like ages later, the rain had washed away all the excess blood. The only blood that was there was the fresh blood the pinpointed where Sasuke's wounds were. But that didn't concern Sakura.

"Medical kit!" She screamed at Naruto as he tossed her the bag. She dug for the tube with the black bag connected to it. Once she found it, she practically shoved it down his throat, only briefly checking it to make sure it was positioned correctly. She quickly started squeezing the bag, instantly puffing oxygen into Sasuke's lungs. Sakura repeated this, then put her ear onto his chest, poking and prodding him with her free hand.

"Dislocated shoulder… punctured lung… I can fix both of those."**(A/N I'm not sure if you can heal a punctured lung with the supplies they have. Please stay with me! I'm doing my best!) **Sakura whispered. She gave Naruto a sharp look.

"Naruto! Come and start squeezing the bag again! I'm gonna have to get to work!" Sakura told him. Naruto nodded and quickly took position.

Sakura immediately got to work to save Sasuke's life.

~*~

They had no idea what time of day it was. They didn't know how long it had been since the storm had started. The worst part of the storm was finally over, leaving only the soft _tap, tap_ of the rain outside. Sakura had finally finished taking care of him. She dressed his wounds carefully, and had fixed his shoulder and his punctured lung.

Sasuke was finally able to breathe on his own, so she could remove the breathing tube from his throat. His breathing was shallow and labored, but he was at least he could take in air on his own. Sakura carefully monitored his health, waiting for the last of the rain to clear up, and for Sasuke to wake up. With the blanket draped over his body, he had warmed up from the last time he was awake. She had also given him strong painkillers so when he woke up, he wouldn't feel any pain. She would've used anesthesia on him when he woke up, but seeing the reaction he gave beforehand, he didn't want to scare him. He was under enough stress as it was. The good thing was, the wounds that were left were minor, and though he'd be sore, it wouldn't affect anything he would do. He would still be able to walk on his own.

~*~  
Hours later, they still didn't know what time of day it was, but since they were both tired, they guessed it was late. Both of them very reluctantly lied down to sleep, still worried about Sasuke's fragile condition. They huddled close to him, forcing them to sleep very lightly in case something were to happen to Sasuke in the middle of the night.

But, with Uchiha blood running though his veins for encouragement, Sasuke survived the night. His condition became much more stable. His breathing was better, and his wounds were healing well. He would definitely wake up today.

Naruto and Sakura had both agreed to rebuild the shelter today, before Sasuke woke up, so they get back to a safe location.

They ate a quick breakfast of apples, grapes, and bananas, then they packed up. Sakura lifted Sasuke into her arms, and they returned back to the heap of wood that had once protected them.

Naruto set his stuff down, while Sakura lied Sasuke down on top of the blanket, letting the heat from the sun keep his warm body up. But just before they got to work, Sasuke let out a soft moan, lolling his head to the side and opening his eyes. His muddled mind could only register that through his blurry vision, he could make out the pink blob was Sakura, and the orange blob was Naruto.

"S… Saku…ra…" He whispered, immediately becoming aware of throbbing pain throughout his body. It wasn't as bad with the painkiller, but was still painful. He let out a hiss of pain, clenching his stomach tightly.

"I don't wanna hurt or scare him, so I'm just going to use hypnosis on him." She whispered to Naruto. Sasuke's eyes were clenched shut in pain, so he didn't notice Sakura walking over to him. She started rocking Sasuke's arm back and forth. Sasuke opened his eyes to look at her, but as soon as he did, Sakura yanked his arm, staring directly into his eyes. That simple jerk was enough to send him into hypnosis. No words were needed this time. The force of the pull had lifted his back only inches from the ground, allowing Sakura to swipe a hand under his back so she could lift his whole body up. She lied his body so they made the cross symbol again but she supported his back with her arm so his head was resting gently against her shoulder, buried into the crook of her neck was his forehead. She rocked him back and forth gently, whispering comforting words to him until he was in a deep enough trance. She gently lied him back down again, and joined Naruto and got back to work on the shelter. **(A/N sorry for bending it around a little Sasuke's Pal)**

Hours passed before they finally finished the shelter. They had built it the exact same way as before, only they left the tarp out this time. They situated all the supplies again, then went to go get Sasuke. It was early in the night now. It wasn't too late, but it was dark. Naruto was already asleep, too tired to stay up any longer. Sakura quickly woke him from his trance, then resumed lying in bed and staring up at the stars. After he woke up, he was dizzy and sleepy from the effects, so he slept another fifteen minutes before waking up for good.

"Hey Sasuke, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked him.

"Tired. And in pain." Sasuke responded tonelessly.

Sakura nodded. "You'll feel like that for a little while, but it shouldn't be for too much longer."

Sasuke sighed softly. He stood up, carefully applying pressure to his foot, but realizing that it no longer hurt, he softly padded over to Sakura. He lied down next to her, keeping his distance so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. She slid her arm underneath his head.

"It's late, Sasuke." She told him.

"Hn." Was his response.

"Glad to see you're back to your old self. But you're still recovering. Why don't you sleep?" She asked.

"I've slept enough." Sasuke whispered.

"You should. You're recovering." She whispered in return. Sasuke sighed.

"Fine." He gave up, turning away from her and closing his eyes. Sakura sighed, and glanced back up to the sky.

Twenty minutes later, Sasuke was still awake, trying his hardest to sleep but failing. Sakura noticed this.

"You can't sleep?" She asked.

"Hn. No." Was Sasuke's obvious response. He was still using her arm as his pillow. She used that arm to pull him close, so he was resting in her arm. He rested his head on Sakura's shoulder, closing his eyes again to try to sleep. Sakura gave him a back rub to help lull him to sleep.

"I love you so much." He smiled softly, snuggling into Sakura for more warmth. He nuzzled into her neck contently. Sakura turned her body and wrapped her other free hand around him, embracing him warmly.

"I love you too, Sasuke." She whispered, stroking through his jet hair lovingly.

"Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite." She teased. He laughed softly, burying his head into her neck more. She hugged him tighter.

"Alright… Goodnight for real." She whispered, noticing that the Uchiha's breaths were starting to slow down. Sasuke was starting to fall asleep.

She kissed his forehead softly, making sure not to disturb him as he finally entered the world of dreams. As she started to drift off, she remembered the words that he had said to her.

_I love you so much._ Sakura smiled sweetly, her eyes trailing down to the young boy in her arms, sleeping softly. His eyelids closed ever so gently. He had never seen so carefree to Sakura at that moment. Was it just her, or was it actually true? Was Sasuke really feeling so at peace with her presence?

"You'll never know how much I love you." Sakura whispered to him. As if on cue, Sasuke mumbled something quietly in his sleep.

It almost seemed as if he had whispered "I love you just as much." But Sakura knew it wasn't true.

Still, the close resemblance still took her by surprise. She dropped the thought, snuggling back up to Sakura, preparing to close her eyes for the final time that night. She took one last eased glance at her boyfriend, the young Uchiha that had been through total chaos. It was a miracle that he was still sitting next to her, talking, eating, _breathing_. It was truly miracle that was unexplainable.

His words trailed back into her mind, those words she had longed to hear every since she was a very young.

_I love you so much._ She had finally heard them. And it was true. It wasn't some daydream anymore, it was true. As she buried her face into the warm, silky smooth hair she loved so much, and smiled wholeheartedly. As she drifted off to sleep, the very last thought of the night drifted into her mind.

_His emotion were twisted for awhile… but they definitely hadn't disappeared for forever._ She snuggled into him more, feeling his body heat soothe her more.

Somewhere in his heart, his most important emotion was buried, lying dormant until now.

Somewhere in his heart, he decided that this was time that it could expose itself.

Somewhere in his heart, he never forgot how to love.

**Done! ^_^ Told you it was long! :D**

**Wow. Those last 3 sentences that all started with 'somewhere in his heart' were meant to sound cute, kinda like a scene that makes you go "AWWW!!!" lol FAIL!!! xD**

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! :) I realize that it wasn't the greatest but now that we're reaching the middle of the story, more action will happen. I have some story ideas that will take a few chapters so you can take a break you few readers who actually give me ideas! (Thanks a bunch, especially Sasuke's Evil Angel, Sasuke's Pal, and Akatsukigirl, but everybody else who have gave me story ideas as well!!)**

**Thanks to:**

**Sasuke's Pal- besides the storm part, the rest of the chapter plot was her idea (I am sorry for bending a couple parts without asking you! Where I typed this I had no internet so I couldn't ask you if you were ok with it! Please don't be mad!)**

**Thanks for reading! :)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	10. The Sound of Rescue

_Paranoia at Silent Island chapter 10: The Sound of Rescue_

**I will now hypnotize you SasuSaku fans into thinking these next few chapters will be good!**

…

**FAIL!**

**Wow. I just realized… I forgot to do the previous thingy in the last chapter... Meh… too lazy now! xD**

**Another thing I realized was at the beginning of the story I mentioned Sakura having her medical jutsu. She didn't. I didn't want her to. I have no idea why I said that. Just tiredness I guess. I am so sorry about that too! *bows***

**My views are going up in this story! :) Thanks a lot everybody! :D It means a lot to me! :)**

**Remember to send your ideas to:**

_Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com_

**Thanks! :)**

_Previous:_

_Somewhere in his heart, his most important emotion was buried, lying dormant until now._

_Somewhere in his heart, he decided that this was time that it could expose itself._

_Somewhere in his heart, he never forgot how to love._

_Story:_

The blinding rays of the sun's light was what woke Sakura up the next morning. She turned over and yawned quietly, taking note of the sleeping Uchiha next to her, his back curled up against her chest. He had his head buried in his arms as his deep breaths hinted that he'd be asleep for awhile yet. She smiled softly, pulling him close and giving him a small kiss on the cheek before standing up. Naruto was still asleep, snoring loudly. It was surprising that that wasn't how she woke up this morning, or that it hadn't woke up Sasuke.

She grabbed a fishing pole, deciding that she would cook some fish. She slowly walked outside into the ocean water to try to fish. Around ten minutes later, she came back in with three larger sized fish. Each tainted pink with brownish stripes. Sakura couldn't remember the name of the fish, but she remembered it wasn't toxic. She set the fish down and waited for Sasuke to wake up so he could start the fire with a fireball jutsu. They couldn't waste anymore matches. Even the water was being wasted, something that she knew could've been a deadly mistake.

About fifteen minutes later, she heard Sasuke inhale deeply, and she knew that he had woken up. After a couple of minutes went by, Sasuke ambled out. He looked even more pale than usual, his eyes looked extremely tired. He gave a soft _hn_ as he walked out. He had kept the blanket around his body as he moved next to Sakura.

"Sasuke… you look _horrible. _Are you sick?" She asked. Sasuke shrugged, sitting down next to her. She put an arm around his back, pulling him close to her into a hug.

"Can you at least manage a fireball jutsu?" She asked. Sasuke nodded slightly, slowly standing up, abandoning the blanket on the ground. He did his hand signs a little slower than usual, but nonetheless, he released a bright ball of fire onto the fire pit, making it instantly burst into flames. The heat beat against their skin, instantly adding a lighter hue. Sakura grabbed the fish and immediately put them over the fire to cook. She took her seat next to Sasuke, who had already sat down. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close again. His head was resting in her arms, which were in between her knees that were pulled to her chest. She stroked his hair delicately, and he turned his head to the side into her chest. Closing his eyes, he fell into another restless sleep.

Another ten minutes passed before Naruto woke up. By then, the fish were fully cooked. Sakura was eating absentmindedly. Sasuke was placed next to her, his head and arms pressed up against her leg and he was curled into a loose ball.

"Morning Sakura." Naruto whispered. Sakura nodded to him. "Good morning, Naruto." She said tonelessly, taking another bite of the warm fish. Naruto grabbed a fish and sat next to Sasuke. He looked down at him worryingly.

"Is he ok?" Naruto asked, taking note of how pale, sweaty, and uncomfortable the young Uchiha looked. His teammate's breathing slightly hitched, then returned to its normal rhythm. Sakura looked at the Uchiha, stroking through his bangs twice before resting her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think he's feeling too good today. We'll have to see when he wakes up again." Sakura replied.

"Is it healthy for him to be sleeping so much?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Usually no, but for all that's happened to him, yes. Think about how much trauma he's suffering from right now." Naruto nodded, looking back at Sasuke briefly, before going back to finishing off his fish.

About twenty minutes later, Sasuke started to rouse. He glanced up drowsily, yawning softly. He unhurriedly sat up, seeing the fish cooking on the fire. He grabbed one and slowly started eating, not making a sound to his other teammates.

Having rested more, he felt much better. He didn't feel perfectly fine, but well enough to be able to walk around today. His teammates seemed to have noticed too. Sakura smiled at him warmly.

"Good morning Sasuke. Feeling better?" She asked. He nodded slightly, before going back to finish his fish.

"Good. Naruto and I decided that we're going to go explore the land today. Are you feeling up to it?" Sakura asked him kindly. Sasuke nodded quickly. "I want to get out of this shelter."

"There's a difference between a need and a want. Are you sure you can make it through a walk through the woods? If you don't have the energy it's fine. One of us can stay here with you."

Sasuke shook his head. "I'll be fine." He muttered cheekily. Sakura nodded.

"That great! That means you are recovering your strength!" She said with a large smile. Naruto's grin was much wider.

"So I'll have somebody to spar now? AWESOME!" He yelled.

"Be quiet idiot." Sasuke muttered, wincing as the loud noise unpleasantly met his ears.

"Alright. You two get ready for the morning. Each of you grab a water bottle, and a couple fruits. I'll grab the tan bag. If happen to get lost or anything, we'll want some food. Make sure you guys have your weapons." Sakura told her teammates. Both boys nodded, and she stepped out onto the sand, giving them some privacy as they got ready.

Once they were done, they both came out, each holding a water bottle, and two fruits. Sakura nodded. "Good. I'll carry the food for you guys." She said, taking the fruits from them and placing them in the brown bag. They both nodded a small thank you before they headed off for the woods.

About an hour into the woods, they had walked quite a distance. They had been marking their way with kunai marks on trees. So far, they must have walked approximately four miles, but they could never be sure.

Just when they were about to turn back, they heard a deep rumbling noise. It sounded above all things. All the birds went quiet, and even the sound of rushing water ahead of them seemed to drown out with this new sound. The whole team gasped, but none of them could hear each others.

"Was that..?" Sakura said loudly so her teammates could hear her. Sasuke hushed her.

"Shh… Listen." They all looked up into the sky. The bright baby blue sky was suddenly covered by gray. An airplane!

Everybody in the team screamed out "Help! Help!" Jumping up and down frantically, trying to get the pilot's attention. "Help!" Sasuke immediately took off dashing forward, abandoning his water bottle, blindly running forward, and praying that the woods would soon stop so there wasn't anything covering them before the plane was out of sight. His teammates dashed after him, still screaming "Help!" They both kept their water bottles. Sakura held hers, while Naruto kept it in his pocket, zipped up. Even though Sasuke was still recovering, his speed was still faster than his teammates, and adrenaline gave him an extra burst as he continued through the trees. The airplane, however, was much faster, and it was getting farther and farther away.

"No!" Sasuke screamed, trying to pick up his pace. He looked down for a split second to find that the end of the trees was nearing. But instead of going into an open area of land, it led straight off the edge of a cliff. Sasuke immediately started slowing down, barely making it in time. His toes were inches away from the ledge. He quickly looked back into the sky "Help!" He screamed. He blew a fireball jutsu straight into the sky, but the sun was shining so brightly, it couldn't be seen.

Sasuke sighed in defeat, the plane was too far away. He was about to call out to his teammates, when he heard Sakura's earsplitting scream. "Naruto! Stop!" He froze, and just as he was about to turn around, Naruto pushed into him, knocking the both of them off the cliff. Sakura managed to stop in time before falling over herself. Their terrified screams replaced the sound of the airplane that hadn't spotted them.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" She called as they both crashed into the raging river below. Tears immediately flowed from Sakura's eyes. Sasuke had hit the water head first, while Naruto landed feet first. By the time Naruto rose to the surface, he was already about thirty feet away from when he fell, which was only about two seconds.

He glanced around frantically, then dove back underwater. Sakura froze as she realized Sasuke didn't surface.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed. About four seconds later, Naruto resurfaced with Sasuke in his arms unconscious. Still struggling against the raging current. Naruto could barely keep his head above water, and holding Sasuke made it even harder. Sakura dropped both her water bottle and a kunai to mark where she began so she could find her way back, and she took off, running on the edge of the cliff to follow her teammates.

Naruto moved Sasuke to his back carefully, seeing Sasuke's head bleeding badly from the side. Naruto grunted as he saw the blood being swept away by the frigid water, but the bleeding didn't seem to stop. Naruto found a dead tree near the edge of the river. Reaching out with one hand, he barely managed to grab on, but he forced his body to latch on with the other hand. On his back, he felt Sasuke shivering from the cold water, and it made him even more uncomfortable.

"Naruto! Sasuke! You have to get out there's a waterfall coming up!" Sakura screamed.

"Sakura! There's no way we can get out of this water. Throw the fruits and medical supplies that can get wet. I'm going to put them into my pockets and zip them up. Sasuke's head is bleeding badly! I can't hang on too much longer hurry!"

Sakura obliged and threw the fruits into the water, followed by a syringe that was stuffed with medical bandages. The syringe kept it dry as it was launched by the current towards Naruto, who grabbed it and quickly stuffed it into his pockets. He zipped it up, and yelled back to Sakura.

"When we fall down the waterfall, we're going to be washed up on shore. If you can't make it to shore, then find another way around!" He screamed to Sakura.

"What if I can't find a pathway there?" She asked.

"Then once we can move, we'll start looking around in the forest. Every day around noon, come search until nightfall. If a week passes, assume we're dead and don't look for us. If we're alive, we will keep searching!" Those words pierced Sakura like a knife.

"Alright Naruto!" It took her all she could not to break down and cry at the very moment. She was watching her teammate's fall of a waterfall, most likely to their deaths. Not just her teammates, but one was her boyfriend. What if they both died? She couldn't survive on her own!

Her thoughts were interrupted when Naruto let out a scream. She looked down to see that Naruto had let go of the branch, heading straight for the waterfall. Sakura shut her eyes shut painfully, waiting for the death of her teammates to happen.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" She screamed as they disappeared underwater, only to resurface again. Naruto took Sasuke in his arms and hugged him close as the waterfall was only seconds away.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura screamed from the edge as they fell off the edge of the waterfall.

Naruto gasped as he felt gravity pull him down. He lost the feeling of water underneath him, and when he opened his eyes, he realized the ground was thousands of feet below him. He hugged Sasuke closer to ensure that they wouldn't separate.

After falling down farther and farther, he realized that there was a huge rock underneath them. It was unavoidable. They'd land right on top of the rock. Naruto gasped and flipped around, so his back would hit the rock. He pressed Sasuke against his chest tightly.

"I hope we'll both wash up onto the same shore, Sasuke." Naruto whispered into his ear.

He looked down to the ground worryingly, wondering how much time he'd have.

_Five seconds._ He thought.

_Four, three, two…_ He pulled Sasuke into the tightest embrace he had ever done in his life.

He felt his back smash against the thick rock, and he let out a sharp cry of pain, his arms flew back and Sasuke flew out of his arms. He wanted so desperately to reach out and pull Sasuke back into his arms, but he unconscious before he could do anything.

When Naruto finally woke up, the first thing he did was sit up and look at his surroundings. He was sitting on soft, white sand, a few feet away from the river, which was now nearly still. The waterfall could be heard in the distance, but couldn't be seen over the small cliff-like structure that completely surrounded him, besides the still pond that was beside him, separating that side of the cliff with him. He looked around frantically, this time looking for Sasuke, completely ignoring the throbbing pain in his back.

"Sasuke!" He called out to his teammate. No response came.

"Sasuke!" He said standing and running to the middle of the small stream. He spotted Sasuke a little ways away on the sand. The cliff had separated his sand bank from Sasuke. He was lying on his side, still unconscious. Blood still seeped from his head.

"Sasuke!" He screamed, dashing over to his teammate. He gently shook him.

"Sasuke… Sasuke wake up. Wake up." He said. Sasuke's eyes opened half way, unfocused, and he glanced at the blurry blob of orange that he knew was Naruto. He quickly clenched his eyes shut tight and let out a hiss of pain, as he grabbed the side of his head. Naruto grabbed his wrists and pried them away from Sasuke's head.

"Let me look at the wound." Naruto said, looking at it. It wasn't too bad, but he could tell it was painful. Naruto dug into his pocket, taking out the syringe. He took off the top, and took out the bandaging. He took off Sasuke's headband for him, and then carefully wrapped the bandage around his head. It looked nothing different than him wearing his headband, except it was bandaging instead of metal and cloth. Sasuke just stared at him, and then finally, when Naruto finished dressing Sasuke's wounds, he gave Naruto a small thank you.

Sasuke tried putting the headband back on but Naruto stopped him. "I wouldn't put that on. More pressure might make it hurt worse. Why don't you leave it off?" Sasuke nodded slowly, folding his headband neatly and putting it into his pocket until he could take off the bandaging.

Naruto unzipped his other pocket to pull out some fruits, but it turned out that the two apples Sakura had thrown were pretty much smashed. Naruto sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was completely blocked by what seemed like endless clouds. Sasuke was still noticeably shivering from the frigid waters. Despite being cold, Naruto took off his jacket, draping it over Sasuke's shoulders. He jumped, but then relaxed when he realized it was Naruto's jacket. He let the warmth of Naruto's jacket sink in. It was already warmed by Naruto's body heat. Naruto carefully embraced him to stay warm. Sasuke surprisingly leaned into him, his trembling starting to slow.

Eventually, after about an hour or so, Sasuke was asleep. He fell asleep to Naruto's warmth. His head was snuggled into Naruto's shoulder for warmth. Naruto sighed softly to not wake Sasuke. He was bored out of his mind, and somewhat hungry, but he didn't move. About two hours later, it started to rain. The boys had no cover, so they ended up sitting on the soggy sand as the rain poured endlessly. Because of Sasuke's wounds, Naruto allowed Sasuke to lay his stomach and up on his lap as he slept. Sasuke had started shivering badly again, and Naruto felt terrible he couldn't do anything about it.

Night mingled with day. They had no idea what time it was. Naruto just lied on his back and slept. Sometime during the night, Sasuke had woken up, and this time lied on Naruto's stomach and chest instead of legs, deciding that it was more comfortable and warm. Naruto was fine with it. He smiled softly, placing a hand on Sasuke's back as they both slipped back into the world of dreams.

Sasuke had been continuously waking up in the middle of the night. Naruto, however, after the first time Sasuke had accidently woke him up from shivering so badly, couldn't sleep. With the cold rain dripping on him, and the thought of Sasuke lying so cold and vulnerable left him sleepless. Any time Sasuke had woken up in the middle of the night, Naruto was always awake, helping him fall back asleep. However, it was the very same things that were keeping Naruto awake, that Sasuke faced too.

During one particular part in the night, Sasuke had woken up shivering more violently than before, whimpering a soft _"cold."_ But since Naruto was awake, he heard it altogether. He hugged Sasuke closer to his chest, whispering "I know, I know." He felt bad he couldn't provide the comfort that Sakura provided for Sasuke.

_What should I do?_ He wondered. Then he remembered one thing he did know how to do. He knew one single thing that he could do to help Sasuke's pain and coldness.

He told Sasuke to sit up. Very reluctantly, he did, wary of his wounds on his head, stomach, arms, and legs from the fall. Naruto gently grabbed his arm and swung it back and forth calmly. Sasuke immediately caught on to what he was doing.

"Just relax." Naruto told him, but he really didn't need to. Sasuke was already doing so. Even with the unforgiving rain that soaked their bodies. He felt the all too familiar tug, and he gratefully let his body sink into its semiconscious state.

Naruto caught him as he fell forward, lowering his body down lower to the ground and turned him so it was like he was sleeping on his back the whole time. Naruto gently rocked him back and forth. Sasuke was still shivering badly, so Naruto turned him onto his stomach. He then gently put his hand on Sasuke's forehead, rolling his head in a soothing circular motion. As he did this, he began to speak.

"Just relax into a deeper state of consciousness. Let your mind sink deeper and deeper. Deeper and deeper…" He let his voice trail.

"You try to open your eyes, but they seemed to be glued together. You don't want to wake up from this relaxing sensation. You will not wake up unless I tell you to. You are feeling so good. So relaxed. You don't feel cold. The heat around is just the way you want it to be. It's not too cold, it's not too hot. It's just perfect." He felt Sasuke's shivering immediately come to an abrupt stop. Naruto smiled.

"That's right. Just go deeper and deeper into relaxation." He whispered. He then lied Sasuke's body down just like before, so it looked like he was sleeping on his back again. Naruto immediately began rocking his body again.

"You are still in your wonderful sensation, and you will not wake from it until morning. In the morning, you will wake on your own time. Give me a sign that you understand what I am saying." Naruto said.

A soft _"Yes, Naruto."_ Was what he got in return.

"Good, Sasuke." Naruto said. Then he lied Sasuke on his chest again, bringing a hand to the side of Sasuke's face.

"No pain, no coldness, complete relaxation. Go to sleep Sasuke, and don't wake up until you area fully rested until tomorrow morning."

Sasuke snuggled into Naruto more, giving a deep sigh. Naruto smiled softly, brushing through Sasuke's hair softly before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself.

**End! :D**

**Alright. Sorry about the lateness of this chapter as well. *sweatdrop***

**I hope you enjoyed. Sorry, SasuSaku fans, but I've been planning this since the very beginning! :) Naruto and Sasuke should get some time to themselves! :)**

**They were ALMOST rescued... but then Tsuande and Kakashi didn't see them. Will they continue the search, or are they convinced the team is dead? What will happen to Naruto and Sasuke? TBC! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Review!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	11. The Struggle

**Paranoia at Silent Island chapter 11: The Struggle**

_Previous:_

_Sasuke snuggled into Naruto more, giving a deep sigh. Naruto smiled softly, brushing through Sasuke's hair softly before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself._

_Story:_

Sasuke blinked open his tired eyes, his mind still fuzzy from sleep. He jumped, startled that he wasn't in the shelter, but then he quickly remembered what had happened the previous day and relaxed. He closed his eyes, drawing in a slow, steady breath to calm himself. He then realized that Naruto's jacket was still draped over his body, dripping wet, and soaking his own clothes. He brushed a hand through his messy, sand infested hair.

_Naruto slept through the rain last night without his jacket?_ Sasuke thought in amazement. He immediately felt a pang of guilt that Naruto took off his jacket to help him. One thing that caught his attention that he missed yesterday was the giant tears in the back of it. It looked as if a tiger had caught him and raked its claws into Naruto's back, leaving huge, open gashes through his jacket.

Sasuke glanced around warily for Naruto, becoming worried about what had happened to his teammate. He spotted Naruto over by another bank, seemingly searching around in the water for something. Sasuke sighed, slowly coming to a stand. He winced when he put pressure on his foot, and he silently noted an injured leg. Checking himself over, he noticed a wounded arm as well. He was already well aware of his head. He could recall in the frigid water. Even though Naruto thought he was unaware, he was actually semiconscious the whole time. At least, until they had smashed into something that was clearly not water.

He remembered how determined Naruto was to get back to Sakura. _Even in the midst of chaos, he took the leadership. Serious took over him, and he managed to save the both of us. He had told Sakura what do to, coming up with a quick, usable plan in an instant. _Sasuke thought, impressed at what his teammate had thought of in a split second without hesitating. He couldn't seem to forget about how safe he felt in Naruto's arms. Even falling off a massive waterfall, Naruto's firm grasp on him kept him comforted until they had smashed into something hard and rough. Naruto's grip broke on him, and he knew Naruto was unconscious after a sharp cry of pain. He could feel Naruto's blood splatter onto his face, quickly being washed away by the surrounding cold water. He was getting lightheaded from blood loss at that point, and Sasuke blacked out as he hit the frigid mattress of water once again.

He slowly ambled over to the edge of the stream, splashing what seemed like much warmer water than yesterday onto his pale face, cleaning it as best as he could. The water felt like it was sticking to him unpleasantly, annoying him to no end. Once he finished washing his face, he then started washing his hair, getting rid of the sticky sand that had entangled into his black hair. His hair, now dripping wet, now shined brightly with the sun beaming rays into it.

"Sasuke!" He heard his teammate yell to him. He grunted, standing up shakily. He had momentarily forgotten about his foot. He rolled his eyes, _Great._ He thought annoyingly, _now my foot hurts again._

Naruto came rushing up to him. "Hey Sasuke! You're awake!" He grinned. Sasuke nodded slightly.

"Obviously." He muttered, annoyed by Naruto's loud voice. He looked around again. "Where are we?" He asked, his eyes falling back to Naruto's shining sky blue eyes. Naruto replied with a curt shrug, gesturing to the waterfall's gently lapping waves that could now be seen, though unclear.

"After you were unconscious, we had fallen off that waterfall. We floated down to here. I suppose you didn't know what had happened last night. I guess I forgot to tell you that!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, a tint of blush forming on his cheeks, as he grinned embarrassingly. A sweat drop formed on the side of his head. Sasuke just glared dumbly at his teammate.

_Little idiot. He doesn't even realize how much danger we are in right now._ Sasuke thought.

Naruto decided to continue. "Anyways… how's your head, neck, and arm doing?" He asked.

Sasuke let out a small grunt. "Fine." He mumbled. Naruto looked doubtful. "Come on, be honest." He pressed. "I'm _fine!_" Sasuke insisted, but Naruto still refused to believe him. He leaned closer to Sasuke, who started backing away slowly. Naruto reached a hand up towards his teammate's confused face.

"Naruto what are you-" He was cut off as Naruto pressed his hand against Sasuke's wound, applying steady pressure, that wasn't too hard, but enough to prove if it was really bothering him or not." Sasuke let out a cry of pain, falling to his knees and clutching the side of his head.

"See? You're clearly _not_ fine." Naruto laughed. "Shut up." Sasuke avoided eye contact by looking down to the white, soft sand beneath his feet. He got up again, still not looking at his teammate.

"How about your arm and leg?" Naruto asked. "And don't lie, unless you want to end up looking weak and stupid by falling to the ground again like that."

"Zip it, idiot." Sasuke retorted, but still replied with an answer. He looked into his teammates eyes, while calmly and softly replying "Fine. They don't really hurt as much as my head." Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes, looking for the slightest proof of dishonesty, but Sasuke's expression looked serious. Naruto nodded slightly, dropping the conversation.

"How about you're wounds?" Sasuke asked Naruto.

"My wounds? All I got was a few scrapes on my back, and they're pretty much gone. The Nine Tailed Fox allows me to heal pretty quickly." Naruto replied.

The next few moments were spent in silence. Naruto shuffled his feet, looking around on the ground. Sasuke simply kept his gaze on Naruto, not staring at him, but just simply observing his actions. They both waited for one of them to break the silence. After a few long, painful seconds went by, Naruto finally broke the silence.

"So, you feel up to walking today?" He asked. Sasuke nodded briefly. "I'm fine. My leg wound isn't so bad I can't walk; obviously I have been doing it since I woke up this morning. I was running to chase after that plane yesterday, so I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked him.

"I'm _fine_, Naruto. Drop the conversation." He said swiftly.

They both guessed it would be a few hours yet before noon. Possibly two or three. Naruto spent the time looking in the water, the first few minutes for fish that never showed, then looking for shells. Sasuke spent his time napping, sleeping off the time. Just before going to look for fish, Naruto had done the hypnosis for the day, which had left Sasuke with a slight drowsy feeling, so he decided to sleep it off until it was time to leave.

Once the long, painful hours passed by, they both climbed the cliff, setting off to look for their teammate.

The surrounding forest was bare, deserted. There were almost no animals around. In four hours that had only seen a squirrel, and two birds. Animal life here was so scarce, the two boys wondered how the plants were surviving. If animals couldn't, surely plants wouldn't either. But the fact that there was one squirrel, and a couple birds meant there was more. Perhaps they were hiding somewhere, or possibly just not around that part of the forest.

_What a boring place!_ Naruto thought, glancing over at Sasuke, who was keeping pace silently, looking around every so often for any signs of Sakura. More hours passed by, and still, no sign of Sakura. The sky's bright light was starting to fade, dimming into darkness. Day one was over. No signs of Sakura, or food. Even with plenty of trees, they had seen no safe fruits to eat. There were no animals either, so they couldn't kill them for meat. There were no streams that contained fish, but there wasn't a fishing pole that could be used anyway. Basically, the place was just deserted.

When night finally settled, another problem had occurred. They had lost their way back to the waterfall. After twisting and turning around in the forest, they had finally given up. It was almost pitch black, and they could barely see a thing. They both settled under a large tree, and leaning up against the bark, Sasuke was the first one asleep, worn out from the walking he was still not very used to. Naruto snickered slightly before curling up next to him, giving a deep, contented sigh and falling asleep himself.

When the sun finally peeked its rays through the clouds, Naruto woke up with a loud yawn. He stifled it halfway when he felt Sasuke shuffle beside him. He turned to look at his teammate, and noticed he was still asleep. He decided to let him sleep for ten or twenty more minutes before heading off again.

Sasuke had somewhat woken up to Naruto's loud, obnoxious yawn, but once he realized it was just Naruto, and he didn't have to get up yet, he let himself quickly fall back into the dark abyss of sleep. About twenty minutes later, he was awoken by Naruto softly shaking him awake.

"Hey, Sasuke wake up." He was whispering. Sasuke opened his eyes halfway to see Naruto looking down at him.

"What?" He asked, shaking his head a little to clear some of the drowsiness.

"Let's go. We should keep searching for either the shelter or the waterfall." Sasuke nodded, slowly standing up. He noted that his arm and leg had no pain in them anymore, while his head wound still hurt a little. Naruto gave him a slight nod.

"Any idea where to go?" He asked Sasuke, who shook his head no. Naruto pointed left.

"Let's try this way." He said. Sasuke nodded, and they both started walking in that direction.

About a couple of hours later, they started slowing down. They hadn't eaten in two days, and hunger was beginning to become a problem for them. Naruto and Sasuke both struggled to remain on their feet. By nightfall, they still hadn't eaten anything, found either the shelter or the waterfall, or seen Sakura.

Sasuke and Naruto had both quickly fallen asleep that night, both uneasy, and worried that if they fell asleep, they wouldn't wake back up.

But, fortunately, they did. Naruto had once again woken up first in the morning. Trying his best to ignore the bottomless pit in his stomach. He could hear it growling every couple of minutes, Sasuke's as well.

_I have to protect both myself and Sasuke! There's gotta be some food around here!_ He looked back and forth frantically, looking for some type of edible plant or animal. After a few minutes, Naruto had given up hope on finding food, he spotted something red in a tree a little farther away. Focusing his attention to it, he realized it was an apple tree. He darted through the forest, to the tree. He latched onto the bark, using all of his strength to pull himself upwards, grab four apples, and climb back down. He darted back over to Sasuke, shaking him awake.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! I found food!" He said happily. Sasuke's eyes fluttered, then opened. He let out a small moan and turned his head. "Leave me alone, Naruto." He muttered.

"Sasuke… I found food! Please, you gotta eat something!" Naruto said. Sasuke's eyes moved to Naruto, focusing on the apples he was carrying in his hands. Sasuke took one, nodding a small thank you before taking a bite. The soft flesh of the apple tasted like heaven to him. As he ate the two apples, he could slowly feel the energy start to rebuild in his system, growing like a flame from a fire pit.

Once they both finished eating, they both set off again, but not without grabbing more apples. He grabbed eight. Four for each of them.

_Day three_ Naruto thought_ how much longer can we hold out?_ Beside him, Sasuke continued to silently keep pace. Eventually, they came across a path made of soft dirt. The two boys glanced at each other.

"Should we follow the path?" Naruto asked.

A shrug.

"Where would it take us?" Naruto asked a different question.

Another shrug.

"Are you going to actually answer to any of these questions?"

A glare.

Naruto sighed in defeat, looking back at the dirt road. It led straight through the forest, going on for farther than what they could both see.

"Let's go." Naruto whispered. Sasuke nodded and they both followed the unknown path.

About twenty minutes later, the silence had started bugging Naruto, so he decided to try to talk.

"Why is there a dirt road here? I thought this island was totally deserted. That's what everybody said back at home." He said.

"Maybe it's not deserted. They thought it was, but it's really not." Sasuke replied.

"What if there is! And they try to hurt us or Sakura?" He asked quickly, eyes widening at his teammate's thoughts.

"Hn. Relax, idiot. We can take care of ourselves, and if they knew about the plane crash, they would've already been there." Sasuke said.

Naruto relaxed slightly, then completely dropped the conversation. Sasuke didn't speak for the rest of the time either, quiet as usual. About a few hours later, the road finally stopped. It had led straight to the waterfall, only it wasn't in front of the waterfall, it was behind the waterfall. Naruto and Sasuke both followed, and realized there was a cave behind it.

Naruto started shivering. "Sasuke… are you sure we should go in there?" He said, trying his best not to stammer out the words.

"Hn. I'm not afraid. This island has been long abandoned. Come on." He said simply, beginning to walk farther into the cave.

"Do you think this cave will lead us back to camp?" Naruto asked, slowly ambling behind his teammate, shivering with fear.

Sasuke didn't answer as his foot hit something. It was hard and hollow, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He nudged it with his foot gently, noticing that it rolled over slightly, but didn't move again.

"Why'd you stop?" Naruto asked. Sasuke backed away a couple feet then made hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He yelled, spraying sizzling flames into the nearly pitch black cave. Bright flames instantly lit the cavern, revealing a dreadful sight of human bones. Bugs crawled over them, flies buzzed around them. Naruto gasped and leaped away a couple of feet. Sasuke continued the fire ball jutsu and looked around. It was a dead end. Only a couple of feet away from Sasuke was the wall. A fire pit that looked like it hadn't been used in ages sat abandoned. Sasuke's eyes wandered back to the bones. Somebody had been here, tried to survive, and died.

Sasuke ran out of breath, forcing his fire ball jutsu to sink back to a minute flame, then to nothingness. The once illuminated cave faded back to blackness. Sasuke turned his head away, sweat dripping down his pale forehead. Even he couldn't take in the sight. He started shivering badly.

"S-somebody was here." His voice barely a whisper; Naruto had to strain to hear him.

"T-they tried to s-survive… and they… d-died…" A single tear formed out of Naruto's eye. It was hard to stay strong and believe that they could be rescued when Sasuke, of all people, was getting worked up, on the verge of tears. And seeing the bones of somebody who had tried to survive didn't help either. They had already eaten their two apples, and the tree was too far away to go get some more food. Naruto put a comforting hand on his back.

"They were alone, Sasuke." Naruto gently hugged Sasuke. "We have each other." He whispered comfortingly. "And we have Sakura too. We won't end up like this. It's a promise."

"Naruto…" Sasuke trailed off, his shivering coming to a stop with the comfort. Naruto released his embrace, looking down next to the bone.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, picking up a folded piece of notebook paper. Sasuke glanced at it, and even through the dark they could make out the black pen ink making loops and circles and lines.

"What is this?" Naruto asked. Sasuke studied it over.

"It looks like… a map of some sort." He said, scanning it carefully.

"Do you think it'll get us back to Sakura?" He asked, raising his voice in hope.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "It doesn't look like it. From what I see, all it shows was the trail that the man created, which would be that dirt road we took to find our way here. Looks like it ends in the forest somewhere. Not where we need to go." He whispered.

Naruto sighed. "Do you know for sure?" He asked. Sasuke shook his head no.

Sasuke blew out another fire ball jutsu, and then took note of a pile of wood in the corner of the cave. He blew out the fire, and then silently strolled over to the fire wood. He picked some up and put it over the fire pit.

"We'll need something to help it start." Sasuke noted. He looked at Naruto, expecting him to hand over the small piece of paper in his hands.

"Wait, Sasuke! What if it leads us straight to Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Well we'll have to find her a different way. It looks exactly like the path we just took, so I doubt it is. We need to start a fire and warm up in here. Naruto sighed in defeat; he took one final look of the map, and then handed it to Sasuke.

"Here" He whispered. Sasuke took it from him gently, tearing the map up into smaller pieces.

_Let's hope that we didn't need it._ He thought, throwing it over the fire. Sasuke made his hand signs, and then blew out a ball of fire. The flame engulfed the pieces of the shredded map and wood, cracking as it was disintegrated into the air. Sasuke sighed, watching the small sections of the map shrivel as the flames burned them into nothingness.

_No turning back now._ He thought, sitting down next to it. He closed his eyes and let the heat burst onto his skin. He felt Naruto sit down beside him.

"Feels good." He said softly. Sasuke only replied with a soft _Hn._ Before letting the tranquility silence his nervous mind. He lied down, resting his head on the rock below.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Naruto asked.

"It's fine." Sasuke grumbled, clearly _not _comfortable.

"Well, at least don't fall asleep on me yet ok? I want to check your wounds first." He said. Sasuke surprisingly moaned.

"I'm _tired_ Naruto. Let me sleep. Check the wounds tomorrow." He said. Naruto sighed.

"It's not like you to moan like that." Naruto told him. Sasuke opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at his blonde teammate.

Naruto smacked his forehead. "I did not realize how _wrong_ that sounded." He grumbled. Sasuke smirked, closing his eyes again. He wasn't lying when he said he was tired.

"Well, all joking aside. I want to see how well they're healing." Naruto said. Sasuke just sighed, not moving.

"Please?" Naruto asked.

No movement.

"Pretty please?" He asked again.

A single twitch was all he got.

Naruto could hear the young Uchiha's breaths evening out. He wasn't even paying attention, and was falling asleep. Naruto sighed impatiently.

"Man Sasuke, you really annoy me sometimes." He said, lifting the Uchiha off the ground and bringing him closer. Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped open.

"Naruto let me sleep-" He stopped when he realized Naruto wasn't checking the wounds, but merely giving him a pillow. Sasuke's head rested in between Naruto's arm and stomach, while his back was supported by Naruto's legs.

"Just go to sleep then if you're so tired." Naruto whispered softly.

"Hn. Idiot." He muttered back, starting to drift again. He closed his eyes, and within a few minutes, he drifted into the black abyss of dreams.

Naruto heard his breath even out, and he sighed when he found Sasuke asleep already.

_Must have been really tired. He's out cold._ Naruto thought, leaning up against the wall that was only inches away from where he was already sitting. He looked outside.

"I hope we find Sakura soon." He whispered to Sasuke, knowing that he couldn't hear him thought, he gazed at the visible sky. Sasuke unconsciously snuggled into his stomach for more warmth.

Naruto smiled back at him, and with that, he closed his eyes. Sleep finally claimed him as well, wrapping him up in a warm blanket as he dreamed of returning back to Sakura.

…**End. Sorry this was a little late to come out. *sigh* Chapter was pretty boring I know. -_-'**

**Special thanks to: Akatsukigirl for the idea of discovering the bones! :)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	12. The Crossroads

**Paranoia at Silent Island chapter 12: The Crossroads**

**OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! (end of huge freak out)**

**I am SO SORRY! For not updating! The computer I use broke… and I couldn't get a computer that had office word on it! And since the chapter was 3/4 done, I couldn't start over! Anyways, the computer I use isn't fixed yet… I have to use my mom's brand new laptop that came with office word. Updates will be very slow until my original laptop is fixed, but I can at least type again! My apologies for the slow updates once again! Please don't give up on this story! PLEASE!**

**End of rambling. Please read the long awaited chapter! :)**

**Please keep the ideas coming! I'm desperate! Nobody submitted ideas for this chappie. :(**

**Anyway, onto the story! :)**

**This chapter should hopefully be a thriller to all Naruto fans! (As in, the character)**

_Previous:_

_Naruto smiled back at him, and with that, he closed his eyes. Sleep finally claimed him as well, wrapping him up in a warm blanket as he dreamed of returning back to Sakura._

_Story:_

Sasuke opened his eyes to the dim walls of the cavern. The warm fire he started had fizzled out into ashes, leaving it dark and cold in the small cave. He could feel Naruto gently pressed against his back, still quietly sleeping. He sighed softly, inching away from his teammate, then turning around to look outside. Over Naruto's shoulder he could see the early sunlight peeking through the entrance, around the rushing water of the waterfall. A heavy mist blanketed the area, dispersed far beyond where Sasuke could see.

With a quiet yawn, Sasuke stood up cautiously, to avoid waking his sleeping companion. He sauntered over to the cave entrance, staring out into the distance. Even with the water crashing down from above, he could still see. Since the cave was higher above ground, he could see above all the trees. He looked up, noticing he and Naruto were actually almost halfway up the waterfall. He turned his head and stared back off into the forest. Mist. Mist as far as he could see, seemingly never ending. How could they search for Sakura when it was so dense and cloudy?

_When will we find Sakura? When's help coming? _Sasuke's eyes were hollow, somber as the thought stuck to his mind, repeating like a ceaseless metronome. Looking out into majestic-looking forest, he realized that surviving here would be a lot more difficult than he had ever thought. Perhaps it was one of the most difficult things he'd ever do in his life. There was no shortcuts or cheats. An Ichiraku Ramen wasn't down a couple blocks away. There wasn't a grocery store anywhere around. He had been through survival training, but he had never imagined he would have to use it. This time, it was serious. It _wasn't_ safe here. If he screwed up it couldn't be just brushed off. One mistake could lead to the death of one of his teammates or himself. Perhaps all of them. During training, it's never scary because it's not the real thing. You still have access to everything, there's no way you can die in survival exercises. But now, he was completely cut off from _everything._ He felt so helpless, and all he wanted to do was to be back home, lying on his bed reading a book or training.

"Sasuke?" He heard a faint, muffled voice say from behind. He knew Naruto had woken up. His thoughts finally cleared from his head.

"Hn." He replied to his teammate, exchanging a mere glance at him. Naruto rubbed his eyes drowsily, staring at his teammate.

"How long have you been up?" He asked.

"Not long." Sasuke said quickly, looking back outside. "It's pretty hazy out there, I doubt Sakura can find us or we could find Sakura with it this bad."

Naruto nodded. "I'm hungry." He whispered softly, grabbing his stomach as a gurgle rumbled. Sasuke returned the nod.

"We need to eat. I don't know what there is to eat around here though." Sasuke said, noting that he was running low on energy as well.

"We'll have to look. How about we go search for some food, then come back here and stay until the mist clears?" Naruto asked in a whispered tone.

"For once, I agree to your plan." He said with a quick smirk that faded as Naruto sat up. As he was walking over to the young Uchiha, Sasuke couldn't help remembering something.

_Wasn't he leaning against the wall when I fell asleep? And I was in his lap._ Sasuke's cheeks got a slight tint of red. _Did he move me later in the night when I was in too deep of a sleep to notice?_

"Where do we look first?" Naruto's voice interrupted his thoughts for the second time that morning.

"Wherever. It's not like we know where we are. We'll just have to search around until we find something."

"Ok." Naruto said, ending the conversation as they walked out of the entrance. They walked down the small dirt road, being extra cautious of the edge of the path. On the way down, Naruto had slipped and nearly fell into the pool of water below, but Sasuke had caught him by his foot just in time, but he nearly got thrown off the edge as well by doing so. Once they had finally made it off the path, they both could barely see a few feet ahead of them.

"Make sure we don't lose each other. Come on, we'll have to stray off the path to find some food." Sasuke told Naruto.

"I know, I know." Naruto grumbled back.

They eventually lost track of time. All they knew was that they had been searching for hours and hours. Walking nonstop for that long took a lot out of them. They had no water anymore, no food, and no shelter. The air was hot and humid, making it even harder to carry on. Sweat trickled down their foreheads. Eventually, night crept in. The mist had finally lifted, but it was already dark out. Still no food, or any signs of Sakura. Both physically and mentally exhausted, they settled down into the soft grass, by a massive oak tree. They both fell asleep immediately, finally getting the rest that their bodies were demanding.

It rained that night. Even under the leaves and branches of the giant tree, rain still managed to seep through, dripping onto their bodies. They both shivered badly that night, not having any warmth but each other. Having been woken up by the thunder and lightning, Naruto draped his jacket over both himself and Sasuke to keep the both of them warm. Sasuke hadn't woken up from it, at least, not yet. Naruto was well awake for the rest of the night, much to his discomfort. After walking for so long, all he wanted to do was sleep. Even though Sasuke was sleeping though the storm, he would occasionally wake up every now and then, but he went back to sleep soon after each time. Naruto had only ended up getting a couple of hours of sleep that night.

"**Hey kit, eat something." **The Kyuubi's deep growl bellowed through his mind at one point.

_Shut up, Kyuubi. I wouldn't mock me if I were you. If I die, you die._ Naruto sent the message back down to Kyuubi, who let out an angry snort, ending the conversation.

By next morning, both Sasuke and Naruto were starving and extremely dehydrated. Naruto's muscles were cramping and nausea, while Sasuke felt even more fatigue and he had a migraine. His body temperature was quickly depleting from both lack of food and the exposure to the rain, while Naruto's stayed slightly warmer thanks to the Kyuubi inside of him. But even with the demon providing a little more warmth, he was still shivering cold.

Despite the horrible conditions their bodies were in, they forced themselves to travel farther. It was day six. After today, they'd only have one day before Sakura thought they were dead. Looking for both their teammate and food went unsuccessful for yet another day.

_How are animals thriving here? There's no food anywhere in sight!_ Sasuke thought weakly. Naruto trailed behind him, barely able to keep moving forward.

By the time night fell, they were experiencing head rushes.** (A/N dizziness, faintness, light-headedness when you stand up) **They settled into grass again, both of them falling asleep quickly, wondering if they'll ever find Sakura or food again. They both knew death was staring at them right in the face.

Morning came. And it came slowly. Awaking that morning was rough. It was not only the day of sure death without food or water, but it was the last day Sakura could find them. The seventh day.

_What's going on through Sakura's mind right now? She probably thinks we're dead!_ Naruto's mind was barely thinking straight as he very weakly struggled to get up. They both found it hard to breath. They were panting as if they had just run ten miles, but they had just woken up. They were both hallucinating. All they had was each other. As they walked through the woods, they realized it. Every time they'd see something that wasn't really there, like Sakura or a rescue plane, the other boy would give his teammate a gentle nudge to signal it wasn't real.

They had given up.

The reality came to them hard. There was no food around. They had to have been walking around in circles. The fog had made them lose the waterfall, and it also had gotten them completely lost. They had no idea where they were going. Finally giving up on food and rescue, Sasuke collapsed on the ground, panting. His chest was killing him, he felt as if he wasn't sucking in enough air into his lungs. He felt like he was going to faint just from standing. He rolled to his side and racked violently as he vomited a very minimal amount of fluids. He had nothing in his stomach he could throw up. **(A/N He is throwing up because he has lost way more than 10% of his body fluids. The symptoms I have described so far all are because of that.) **His vision as well as Naruto's was dimming, and it became harder to see, even though it was still morning. Naruto's skin started to shrivel, while Sasuke's muscles had gone into spasm.

Eventually, Naruto fell asleep next to Sasuke, his breathing shallow and nearly lifeless. Sasuke knew that without any immediate help, Naruto would never wake back up again. He wanted nothing more than to join Naruto, to be able to fall back into the deep abyss of eternal sleep. Not having to live with the throbbing pain everywhere in his body. He felt his eyes starting to close. He looked up at the sky, then closed his eyes.

_Sakura… I'm so sorry…_ His delusional mind thought._ I wish… it could've… ended… better…_ Even with his mind screaming no, his body willed him to sleep. As the sleep claimed him, the last thing that went through his mind was Sakura. He wished he could've died by his girlfriend's side, but he was also glad that she wasn't in this situation. He much rather would've died with Naruto, then have Sakura die with him. Sakura deserved her life. He wouldn't forget about her. Ever. His mind went completely black.

Sasuke's unfocused gray eyes opened halfway, though hazy, he could just make out an unusual color. He was dimly aware of his dying body bobbing up and down softly. He heard what he thought sounded like a panicked voice, but every sound was seemingly melting before it could reach his ear.

He tried to speak, but all that came out was a moan. At least, he thought. He couldn't really hear himself at the time. He lolled his head to the side, into something warm and soft, which at the time, was very uncomfortable. He felt something gently press against his cheek, stilling his head from moving around so much. It only made him feel even hotter, and he started weakly squirming. Fighting back the excruciating pain, he lifted his arms to grab whatever was pressed against his cheek. Something soft and smooth like silk met his fingertips, it felt vaguely familiar.

_Hallucinations. Why am I still alive?_ He thought, his mind still delusional. The pain was rushing back to him, starting at his head and rushing throughout his whole body, spreading like a disease.

_Where's… Naruto?_ He wondered, as he struggled to open his eyelids, trying his best to ignore how heavy they felt. He could only manage to open them halfway, and his vision was still hazy and unclear. Too weak to focus, he simply gazed up at the sky, expecting to see a painted blue color. He went into confusion as the color was not a baby blue, but a cherry blossom pink. He felt his eyelids sagging again, and he tried his best to control it, but the more he tried the heavier they felt. Eventually, his eyes forced closed, and very unwillingly, Sasuke fell back into the dark abyss of sleep once again.

Naruto opened his onyx eyes to darkness. He was floating in black nothingness. A dense mist blanketed the vacuum, so thick he could taste the musty lingering. He looked around warily, only to find nothing but blackness.

_Where am I?_ He wondered, looking straight forward again. He could hear a faint daunting sound rumbling somewhere in the distance. Looking around again, he found nothing. Where was Sasuke? It was like being sucked into a black hole, only he could see his body, and nothing else. Was there even anything else around?

He was about to take a step forward when a low growl echoed through the nothingness, immediately causing Naruto to stiffen, a terrified look in his eyes. Never in his life had he heard a growl sound so deep and so intimidating, as if it was completely submerged in seething rage. He glanced behind him sharply, seeing nothing but the blanketing blackness. He turned around but gasped when he became face to face with a giant jail like cell. The bars stretched far out into the darkness, too far for him to see where it ended. The bloodcurdling growling was coming from behind the bars. Naruto peered in, only to see a faint outline of an animal, along with piercing orange eyes, glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, he'd have died a hundred times.

Then, Naruto saw the teeth. The huge rows of teeth outstretched far back and curled into a snarl. Each tooth was yellow and as tall as an adult man. The animal's shape finally starting to become visible, two long ears outlined the blackness, followed by the outline of its muzzle. Two enormous paws that each contained five knife-like claws were close to the bars of the cell, while two other paws could barely be seen through the darkness. Naruto spotted four tails, two on each side, slowly and silently swaying back and forth. Then, Naruto saw the huge, bright orange massive body. A shiver ran down his body and he broke into cold sweat as he realized what he was facing. It was the Nine Tailed Fox. Naruto couldn't conceal his gasp of surprise as it continued to glare and growl at him. He could feel the fox's evil chakra, emitted from every pore in its body. He could _feel_ its power, its pure hatred overwhelming his own. He felt like he couldn't breathe, as if any slight breath or movement would cause his own death. One drop of sweat trickled down his cheek, rolling down to his chin and dropping. When it hit the water he was standing on, tiny ripples formed, growing larger and larger as they passed Naruto's feet, into the cell and passed the fox. The fox's growl deepened as it spoke.

"**Kit, come closer."** Its voice was deep, dangerous, and threatening. Its eyes narrowed as they burned holes through Naruto's body. Naruto was frozen in fear, but he was even more afraid to refuse the fox, so he took tiny baby steps towards it, stopping after three or four.

"**That's right, Kit. Fear me. Fear my presence. My existence."** The fox's voice had a hint of a chuckle in it. Naruto finally decided to speak.

"W-where is this?" He asked bravely, trying to hide the fear in his voice as best as he could. The fox laughed.

"**We are inside of you, Kit. This is where I am sealed away in your body."** He replied, lowering his voice.

Naruto looked around the room. "How did I get here? Where's Sasuke? Is he alright? When-"

"**Shut up you insolent brat. You ask too many questions. I brought you here. I can bring you here whenever I need to. As for your teammate, he is on the brink of death right now. Answer your questions, Kit?"** It spat coldly. Naruto felt his blood turn to ice.

"He's on the brink of death!" Naruto screamed.

"**So are you."** It said.

"WHAT!" This threw Naruto's mind into whack.

"**Shut your mouth, quit whining and listen to me."** The Nine Tailed Fox bellowed, making Naruto instantly stop talking to listen.

"**Listen, your teammate has rescued the both of you. She took you first since you seemed to be in worse condition, and brought you back to the hut. Then she went to grab the Uchiha. We are all on the brink of death, and I will not allow you to die."**

"We?" Naruto asked.

"**We are one, Kit. If you die, I die. I will not allow you to do that. I am going to give you some of my chakra. It will help you heal faster."**

"Alright. So you give me your chakra, and I heal faster. Do I still have a chance of dying if you give me your chakra?" Naruto asked.

"**No. Your teammate has good healing skills, so with my chakra intermixed, you should heal just fine. You should regain consciousness in a couple of days."**

_Do I have to stay here and talk to the fox the whole time?_ Naruto thought, suppressing a shiver with that thought.

"**No, kit. You won't."** It replied.

"How..? How did you know what I was about to say?" Naruto asked in wonder.

"**Why?"** It repeated, **"I live inside of you. I can hear every thought, every word you say, I see through your eyes, hear with your ears. We are one, but at the same time, we are two."**

_Great, more complicated stuff._ Naruto thought. "So okay. You help me heal and I regain consciousness in a couple of days, right? Then what about Sasuke?"

"**You're other teammate?" **It suddenly started laughing like it was the funniest joke it had ever heard.

"What is so funny?" Naruto yelled, annoyed with the fox's actions.

"**Kit, he'll be dead by the time you wake up!" **Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Time seemed to stop all at once.

"Wha-What are you… talking about?" The fox laughed again.

"**Your teammate was left out there longer than you."** It pointed out, **"Meaning, he suffered more."**

"How… how much longer do you think he's got to live?" Naruto asked with shaky breath.

"**I'll leave that for you to figure out."** It said with an evil smile.

"No wait! I want to know!" Naruto called.

"**A few hours. At most, a day. Now, leave Kit. I want nothing more to do with you for now."** It growled.

"Hold on, wait!" Naruto called, but he was stopped as he was pulled back and darkness surrounded his vision.

~*~ **Two days later…** ~*~

The bright light of sun blinded Naruto as he slowly made his way back to reality. He blinked his eyes open a couple of times, before moaning and shutting them again, slowly turning his head away from the sun. He felt something cold slide off his forehead. Opening his eyes again, he found a wet cloth, and realized he was lying on wood. He was back in the shelter. Slowly, the memories of his dream came back. He felt soft hands move his head back to the same position as before, the cool cloth was brought back to his forehead. Still remembering the visit from the fox, he remembered one thing the fox had said: _**Kit, he'll be dead by the time you wake up!**_

"His eyes widened as he quickly sat up, screaming "Sasuke!"

"Shh… calm down, Naruto." Sakura quickly told him. Naruto looked at her.

"Sakura!" He said, instantly throwing his arms around her and hugging her. He felt tears pricking his eyes, and he didn't bother to stop them from rolling down his cheeks. Sakura hugged him back.

"You're lucky I found you guys when I did." She said. Naruto nodded, releasing his tight grip to rub the fresh tears in his eyes.

"Oh! Sasuke! Where's Sasuke!" He asked.

Sakura immediately spoke up. "He's right there, Naruto. He's still unconscious." Naruto whipped his head in the other direction to see his teammate lying next to him. He got worried when Sasuke wasn't moving an inch. He immediately checked for a pulse while listening for a heartbeat.

"Naruto? What are you doing? Sasuke's fine. Didn't you hear me? He's just unconscious." Naruto was relieved to hear both lightly pounding in his chest and neck. He spotted a few cuts and bruises, but other than that, Sasuke would be fine.

"Yea, I heard you. Sorry, I was just really nervous." He said, deciding on the spot not to tell Sakura about his encounter with the fox demon.

"It's fine. I don't blame you. You guys were in horrible conditions when I found you. I thought you were worse, but you're up way before I thought you'd be. I figured you and Sasuke would be unconscious for at least four days." She said.

"Well, I tend to heal faster than most people." He wasn't lying about that. He had always healed a lot faster than people expected.

"Well, that's great I guess, but you must be tired. Why don't you try to go back to sleep?" She suggested. "It'll be pretty boring here, same as before. Only difference is, Sasuke should be unconscious for another couple of days yet." Naruto nodded, feeling the weakness in his body from tiredness. He lied down and closed his eyes after taking one final glance at his teammate lying down next to him, still lost in the darkness that he submerged in for two days.

_How can I be this tired after sleeping for two days?_ He wondered, falling asleep soon after.

~*~  
Even though it was in the middle of the day when Naruto first awoke, he slept through the rest of the day and night. He didn't rouse until around noon the next day. He yawned quietly, and instantly, the smell of fish flooded his nose. He sat up and looked around, seeing two fish roasting on the fire.

"Finally awake huh? You slept through the whole day yesterday." Sakura told Naruto, taking a fish from the dying fire.

"Here, eat." She told him. He nodded, and took the fish thankfully. After the first bite, he realized just how hungry he really was. He devoured the whole fish within a few seconds. Then he realized Sakura wasn't eating the second fish.

"Are you going to eat Sakura?" He asked her.

"I already ate, I cooked them both for you because I knew how hungry you'd be when you woke up. I'm going to cook more than one for Sasuke when he wakes up."

"Thanks." Naruto grinned, taking the second fish and eating it as well. Pretty soon, it was gone as well, and Naruto felt full. He was surprise he could eat as much as he did without feeling sick to his stomach, and he wondered if Sasuke would be able to handle it as well.

Naruto slept through half of the day to regain his strength back. The other half was spent walking along the beach, talking to Sakura, sitting by Sasuke, or sitting on the beach and feeling the waves lapping on his feet.

Finally, night fell. Naruto and Sakura both slept on either side of Sasuke for the night.

Naruto opened his eyes, only to be surrounded by darkness.

_Isn't this..?_ His thought. _It is. It's the Nine Tailed Fox's cage. Why did it send me here?_ _Well, I have something to say to him anyway._ The cage appeared in front of him again. The fox's form immediately came to Naruto. It was lying down, leaning on one side slightly, its paws crossed in front of it, and its tails lying still on the water. The same piercing eyes hit Naruto's body. He stood tall and confidently as he looked back up at the fox.

"**What? Not going to get scared like last time?" **The fox said with a grin.

"Shut up! I need to talk to you!" Naruto yelled back, a hint of fury in his voice. The Nine Tailed Fox laughed.

"**You shouldn't talk to me like that, kit."** It snarled, standing up.

"I don't care." Naruto said cheekily.

"**You brat."** It crouched into a hunter's position, then launched itself at Naruto, claws outstretched. Its muzzle was the only thing that could fit through the bars, however. Its growled dangerously as its mouth was only inches away from Naruto's body. Naruto could feel its hot, foul breath gently brush passed his body. Naruto broke into cold sweat.

"**If I wasn't trapped in this cage, you'd be dead by now."** It hissed, its eyes narrowing. It lifted its head from the ground. Naruto thought he was safe, until its paw was about to crash on top of him. Naruto screamed and ran backwards, the paw missing him by inches. Naruto panted heavily as he tried to intake what had just happened. The fox's tails lashed angrily.

"**You insolent little runt. I'll make sure you pay for this."** It growled.

"Answer my question, you stupid fox! You lied to me! You said Sasuke would be dead, and he's just fine! Why did you mess with me like that?" Naruto yelled. The fox laughed. Then, the edges of its mouth curving upwards into an evil smile.

"**You should've seen the look on your face when I told you that."** Its voice was still in a low growl, but it sounded more cunning.

"You stupid animal! You lied to me!" Naruto yelled.

"**Watch your mouth, kit."** It snapped.

"Make me." Naruto mumbled, but the fox heard it.

"**Listen to me, kit. I can kill you in a heartbeat. The day I break out of this cage, you're going to be my first target. I'm going to be the last thing you ever see. I will demolish you so much that there won't even be anything left of your body."** It growled.

Naruto gulped, forcing back a shiver.

"**Anyways, I wasn't lying about your teammate. But I won't tell you anymore detail about that though, I'll leave you to figure that out."** It said with a smile.

"Fine, fine." He muttered. Then, not caring if the fox could hear what he was thinking, thought _Sasuke's okay now, so what's the big deal?_

The fox chuckled softly when he heard that thought.

"Now what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Naruto pressed on.

The fox sat on its stomach, bringing its face as close as possible to the edge of the bars without going outside of them.

"**Kit, you cannot do such reckless things anymore. I refuse to die because of your careless mistakes."** The fox growled.

"Reckless? We're stranded on a deserted island and there was a plane! If we stay on this island much longer, we'll die anyway!"

"**You'll be rescued eventually, brat."** It hissed. **"And until then, you will **_**not**_** do anything careless like that again, got it **_**kit**_**?"**

"No promises." Naruto muttered.

"**You stupid kid. You don't know who you're talking to." **It growled. **"Now, out of my sight. I don't want to see that stupid look on your face again."**

"Wait! What if I have to talk to you?" Naruto called.

"**If you must, you can will yourself to come. However, I will already know what you have to talk about. If it is something completely useless, I will tear you to bits. You understand, kit?"**

Before Naruto could reply, a wave of darkness swept over him, and his consciousness seemed to drift slowly into a regular dream.

When morning came, Naruto and Sakura both ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. They expected Sasuke to wake up today, so Naruto went out to collect some fresh berries, and get some more water to boil. Sakura decided that she was going to give Sasuke water from bottles, like Naruto had been drinking. She'd be the only one drinking water from the island until both boys got their strength back. The water from the island was fresh, but it was also infested with parasites and bugs. Even if boiled, the dead parasites and bugs were still floating around in the water. With their immune systems so low, she couldn't risk them getting sick. A small flu could be dangerous for them both. Sakura started the fire, and once Naruto came back with the water, Sakura boiled some for herself.

While waiting, she sat next to Sasuke, and examined his minor wounds. Everything was healing fine, so there wasn't really anything for Sakura to worry about. She sighed and went over to the water, drinking some immediately, and saving the rest for later. Once she was done drinking the water, she took her place by Sasuke again. She watched as he moaned and lightly shuffled uncomfortably. She looked over at Naruto, who was sitting across from her, drinking from a water bottle, and staring out at the ocean.

"Naruto, I'm going to go fish to get some food for Sasuke. He's getting restless so I think he's going to wake up soon." Sakura told him. Naruto nodded. "Alright. You sure you don't want me to do it?" He asked. "No, I'll do it. Just call for me if he wakes up." Sakura said, grabbing the fishing supplies.

"Okay." Naruto said, ending it. He sat down by Sasuke, and watched Sakura walk into the water until it was about knee deep, and start fishing. Naruto didn't expect Sasuke to regain consciousness before Sakura came back, so he was surprised when Sasuke let out a loud moan, and coughed roughly. Then he started hyperventilating badly, his coughing worsened. "Sasuke! Hold on, Sasuke. I'll get Sakura." Naruto ran out of the shelter, only to see Sakura walking back towards him with a bunch of fish.

"Sakura! Come quick! Something's wrong with Sasuke!" She gasped and immediately ran for the shelter. Once inside, she threw the fish in the corner and ran to her teammate with Naruto right behind her. She quickly examined him.

"I can't tell what's wrong. It's like he can't breathe, but he's hyperventilating. I can't tell what's wrong!" She put a hand on his forehead, but he was shivering so badly it was hard to keep it on.

"High fever, chills, hyperventilating, severe coughing…" She grabbed a notebook and wrote down all of his symptoms. "He's sweating badly too." She checked his heart rate. "Not good, it's high." She said writing that down too. She shook Sasuke gently.

"Hey, Sasuke. Wake up." She said. He moaned.

"S-Sakura…" He moaned.

"Tell me, how do you feel?" She asked. "You have to tell me everything." He moaned again, and his breath went shallow, which she wrote down silently.

"Pain… in my… chest… My… whole body… hurts… He-headache… Dizzy… T-Tired…" He paused. "H-hard… to breathe…" He broke into another coughing fit.

"Shh… thanks. That's all I needed to know. Thanks." She said, as she finished writing down his last symptom.

"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it looks like Pneumonia." She said.

"Will he be okay!" Naruto practically shouted.

"He'll be fine, Naruto. It's bad now cause he just regained consciousness. He'll be fine in a day or two. He'll just have to drink plenty of water, and get a lot of rest. Some pain medication may be him good, and possibly oxygen if he can't breathe that good. We might have to put him under to give him oxygen that way. But as long as we do that, he won't die." Naruto nodded.

_You here that fox?_ He thought to himself. He could hear the fox's reply in his mind.

_**Hm. I knew he'd live, kit. I'm disappointed, I expected a greater reaction from you when I told you it wasn't over.**_

_I'm not here for your entertainment. I'm here as your vessel. Now shut up and be quiet._

_**Stupid brat.**_ And that ended the conversation.

Naruto went outside and took a walk around the forest, hoping to see something interesting. Everything that was going on so far was so mind boggling for him. The only clear things in his mind were.

1 He and Sasuke were rescued.

2 Sasuke was sick, but would live.

3 He had the next couple of days mostly with Sakura.

He was happy he could spend time with Sakura, especially after being with Sasuke the last week. Boredom was really starting to affect him. They had been there for about two weeks. Once a week passed, it would be a month. How much longer could his team last? With everything happening, would his team cope? Sasuke was taking in some pretty heavy damage lately, and now, he himself too. He still wasn't back to full strength. Besides the pneumonia, he was pretty much in the same condition as Sasuke. The weak feeling, all muscles aching, he felt it all. The only reason he could walk was because of the Nine Tailed Fox.

Naruto had a strange feeling that he and Sakura would start to be the next targets on the island.

But it was just a feeling.

**I gave you guys a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter… :) And I will tell you readers now, there's a REASON why Sasuke has been taking the damage this whole time. ;) that will come in future chapters. (If I can remember to put it in!) Me and my bad memory… *anime sweatdrop***

**Hope you enjoyed a longer chapter. :) (15 Office word pages instead on the usual average 10!) I gave you guys a long chapter because I know you guys were all wondering when it was coming back out. And all the people who gave me ideas were the only people who knew that it wasn't on hiatus. Lucky people! :)**

**Did anybody realize that I spelt one word different. Anybody know it? It's the word "Okay" In the beginning, I had spelt it "Ok" but after my little laptop incident, I had started spelling it the correct way, "Okay" so towards the end, I started spelling it that way. Haha.**

**Anyways, don't forget, updates will be very slow for now, but they will come faster than this time, cause my mom's laptop will still be here, and we plan to have my laptop fixed real soon! :)**

**Anyways, I know you readers are still out there! Come on…. Review! I didn't write a super long chapter for nothing!**

**Thanks for reading**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	13. Fevers and Thoughts on a Lonely Night

**Paranoia at Silent Island chapter 13: Fevers and Thoughts on a Lonely Night**

**Sup? It's been awhile since I've updated, hasn't it? I'm really sorry! T_T Anyways, I've forgotten half of my plans for this story! 0_o (Yea.. this includes the reason why Sasuke has been getting all the torture. T_T I hope I can remember it. :P Maybe put your ideas in a review, and it'll come to me!) Anyways, because of the lost data, I need as many ideas as possible right now, so please, now more than ever, send your ideas to**

**Fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail . com**

**Sorry if this chapter's a bit boring. I want to make it entertaining after a long break, but I don't have any ideas! T_T**

**Onto the story…**

_Previous:_

_Naruto had a strange feeling that he and Sakura would start to be the next targets on the island._

_But it was just a feeling._

_Story:_

"Hey how is he?" Naruto asked Sakura, who was placing a cold cloth on Sasuke's forehead. She looked up at her teammate and gave a deep sigh.

"He's not doing too good. The pneumonia is giving him a pretty high fever still. The thermometer is reading 105 degrees, but I still don't know if it's accurate or not. He's trembling really bad, from what I'm guessing is chills, and his coughing is pretty severe." She put an ear to his chest. "He's got a fast heartbeat, but at least he's not hyperventilating anymore." She told Naruto.

He nodded. "He'll be okay right?"

"Of course he'll be alright! As long as he gets plenty of sleep and lots of water." Sakura told Naruto, who gave a relieved sigh.

"I'm worried for him. He's been taking all of the damage so far. I hope he's gonna be okay." He muttered in a low voice.

Sakura nodded. "Me too." She whispered, looking down at her boyfriend. She brushed the bangs out of his face, just as he let out a rough cough. He moaned, turning onto his side. The cool cloth slid off his forehead, falling a few inches from his nose. Sakura carefully repositioned it so it wouldn't fall off, then looked back up at Naruto.

"Can you get some more water? Then possibly some food?" Naruto nodded, quietly standing up.

"Of course. Call for me if you need anything." He said, grabbing the pot of water that was nearly empty, and walking outside into the blazing heat.

"Man is it hot out here." He whispered as he ran into the forest for some water and food.

**Sasuke and Sakura:**

Sakura lied down next to Sasuke, staring up into the sky through the hole in the roof of the shelter. "That's about as much as I can do for him." She whispered. She glanced at Sasuke, wrapped up in the blanket, in a light sleep. She smiled softly, stroking his hair comfortingly.

Then, his onyx eyes opened. His gaze landed on Sakura, but he could only look at her for a second, before he broke into a coughing fit. Sakura dug through her medical bag, taking out a bottle of pills. She unscrewed the cap and took out two small pills.

"S-Sakura…" Sasuke whispered as his coughing fit ended.

"Here, Sasuke. Take these. It'll help you're coughing and soothe your throat." She said, giving him the pills. She then gave him some water from one of the few remaining water bottles. Once he swallowed the pills, he sighed and lied on his back, looking up at the sky.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.

"Tired. My chest hurts pretty bad. And my head." He added. Sakura nodded, expecting that. His voice was starting to improve, however. Sakura put the cool cloth back on his forehead, this time, putting it over his eyes too. She lied down next to him, snuggling up by him.

"I missed you when you were gone." She whispered with a soft laugh. Sasuke gave a small nod.

"Same here." He murmured back to her, moving closer to her. He wasn't lying. He really did miss her. It felt like _forever_ since they had last cuddled like leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, _"I love you."_

"I love you too, Sasuke." She said, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. He smiled, lifting up the cool cloth so it didn't cover his eyes. He and Sakura both glanced up at the sky through the little hole in the roof. They both sat there and watched the clouds by each other's side. Despite Sasuke's rough coughing and breathing. Eventually, Sasuke fell asleep, so Sakura just lied by him, waiting for Naruto to return with the food and water.

_Come on Naruto, hurry up! Sasuke needs water so he doesn't get dehydrated!_ She thought. While waiting, something crossed her mind.

_That thermometer couldn't be accurate. If his fever really is that high, he'd be much more delirious than this. And he wouldn't be recovering this fast. It must be old. I guess it's pretty much useless. I should only use it for approximate temperatures only._

She was interrupted by her thoughts as Sasuke let out a gasp, his eyes flashing open. He barely had time to roll onto his side before he vomited, his body trembling violently. He bit his lower lip, curling up into a tight ball, tucking his head in.

"Sakura…" He whispered, his shaking worsening as he went into another harsh coughing fit.

"Shh… Shh… it's okay, Sasuke. You're fine. Shh…" Sakura murmured to him, stroking his hair and cheek gently. He tensed, and let out another cough, moaning afterwards.

"It's alright. Just go back to sleep, Sasuke." She whispered. Exhaustion, sickness, and comfort all working together, Sasuke finally went to sleep five minutes later. Sakura sighed thankfully, quietly cleaning up the vomit.

**Team 7:**

A few minutes later, Naruto came running into the shelter, carrying the pot, now filled with water, and six big apples.

"Apples!" He snickered, setting all of the supplies on the floor.

"Thanks Naruto." Sakura said, picking up an apple, and the pot of water. She put the water pot on the dying fire, then took a bite of her apple.

"No problem." He said with a smile. "How's Sasuke?" He asked, glancing over at his teammate sleeping peacefully.

"He's doing better, thankfully. As long as he gets this much sleep over the next couple of days, he'll be back on his feet soon." She said with a smile.

"That's good." Naruto sighed. After a few seconds of silence, he tonelessly said "I'm bored."

"Me too." Sakura replied. "But what are we supposed to do on an island?" She whispered.

"We can always swim!" Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face.

"You can swim if you want, but I have to take care of Sasuke." She said, looking back at her teammate. "Besides, I'm fine staying with him. It's not like I don't enjoy being by him." She whispered.

"Well while he's sleeping you need something to do too. You can always draw or write a story." Naruto suggested, putting a finger in the air.

"I could. But I have no talent at drawing or writing." She said with a small laugh.

"You were pretty good at drawing those ramen bowls, though." Naruto said with a laugh.

"More like helping you with your mistakes." She giggled. "Besides, I wouldn't draw ramen bowls. I'd probably draw animals. Like horses and squirrels and stuff."

"Well, let's see them!" Naruto said. Sakura shook her head, taking the water off of the fire, setting on the dirt around the fire to cool off. "Fine." Naruto said with a sigh. He grabbed an apple and took a bite out of it.

Sakura walked over to Sasuke, gently shaking him awake. Once his beautiful eyes opened, Sakura asked him if he wanted to eat. Sasuke weakly nodded, sitting up as Sakura handed him an apple. After eating the apple, he drank some water, and lied back down. Sakura lied down with him and pulled him close, stroking his hair gently. She felt his whole body relax in her arms, and moments later, she could tell by his evened out breaths that he was asleep.

She placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Sweet dreams, Sasuke." She murmured. She then glanced at Naruto, who was watching them with a curious look.

"I'm going to take a nap with Sasuke. You can do whatever you want." She said with a smile. Naruto nodded.

"I'm going for a run in the forest. Maybe I'll see something cool or find something." He said. There was a moment's silence broken by Sasuke's coughing.

"Sakura, I'm really worried about him. If anything at all happens, call for me, okay?" Naruto asked, his facial expression currently proving it.

"I will Naruto, but Sasuke will be fine." She told her teammate. He nodded, and walked outside. Once he was out of sight, Sakura sighed, snuggling into Sasuke's shirt, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

A little while later, Sakura's sleep was interrupted by Naruto screaming her name over and over.

"Come on, Naruto. _Trying_ to sleep." She muttered, sitting up. She turned her head to see Sasuke sitting up as well. _I'm not the only one he woke up._ She thought with an inward groan.

"He's gonna pay for this." She growled.

"Sakura, he sounds pretty panicked." Sasuke told her. She listened to Naruto's yelling and realized Sasuke was right.

Two minutes later, Naruto ran into the shelter, clearly freaking out. Something small and black that looked like a wire was in his hand.

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura!" He screamed.

"Shut up and tell me what's wrong already!" She yelled back.

"I got bit by a snake!" He screamed, pointing at the slithering black creature in his hand.

It was then that Sakura's blood turned to ice.

"How long have you been running since you got the bite?" She asked him, forcing him to sit down. She took a kunai and immediately killed the squirming snake.

"For about ten minutes!" He said.

"Ten minutes? Then it couldn't be poisonous." She checked the snake's scales, and was amazed to find poison in its fangs. "What? It's impossible!"

"I knew it was poisonous! Am I going to die?" He asked worryingly.

"You were really poisoned, I can tell by the wound, but you should've been affected by two minutes into running. You seem just fine! Do you feel okay?" She asked.

"I feel fine!" He retorted. "But there's no way I'm fine! I got bitten by a poisonous snake! How can I believe that I'm fine?" He yelled.

"The fox…" Sasuke said. Both Sakura and Naruto turned their heads to face him. _How did…? Nevermind._ Naruto thought. Then he heard an inward deep growl that made a shiver run down his spine.

**He sure is a sharp kid. Yes, it was me kit. If not for me, you would've died minutes after receiving the poison. You better thank me, kit.**

_Yea right. You only did it because you didn't want to die. If you weren't going to die too, you never would've helped me._ Naruto sent a message back down to the fox.

**Very true, kit.** And that ended the conversation.

"Well, I guess I'm okay." Naruto said.

"Naruto, wait! Maybe I should check just in case." Sakura told him.

"No, Sakura. I'll be fine. Trust me." He reassured her. Sakura was still worried but decided to drop it for now, not in the mood to argue.

Naruto looked up into the sky and realized it was getting late. The sun had dropped below the sea; the painted fire dulling down into a navy blue. He looked at Sakura who was lying down with Sasuke, gently brushing through his hair to occupy her mind.

Naruto decided to take a walk before he went to bed, since he wasn't the least bit tired. "Going for a little walk." He notified his teammates.

"Alright Naruto. Be careful, and watch out for more snakes." Sakura warned him. "Or next time, you might not be so lucky."

**She's right, kit. Better listen.** The fox's voice echoed through his mind.

_Will you shut up already?_ Naruto shot back at Nine Tailed Fox.

"Yea, okay Sakura. Thanks." And with that, he turned around and left the hut.

**Naruto:**

As he trudged through the forest, Naruto couldn't take his mind off things. He wandered mindlessly through tall grass and bushes, until he stumbled upon a fairly large rock overlooking a clearing of seemingly untouched grass. He climbed upon the smooth surface and brushed his fingertips across it.

_It's almost as smooth as a chair. I miss sitting in comfortable chairs._ He thought with a sigh. He looked out at the clearing. _And this reminds me of that clearing back in the Leaf Village Forest._

He heard an owl calling out from a distance, slightly startling him and zapping him out of his gloomy thoughts.

_How long was I gone?_ He wondered. It must've taken him twenty minutes of walking to this place.

"They won't worry." He whispered to know one in particular. He looked up at the moon, casting a beautiful light upon Naruto's body. After staring at the moon for awhile, Naruto starting thinking that its color and texture reminded him somewhat of the ramen bowls at Ichiraku Ramen. Oh how he missed the mouthwatering flavor of the noodles he never went a day without eating, the old man shouting his name in joy at his arrival, slurping the noodles while Iruka lectured him about stuff he never really listened to… speaking of Iruka, did he miss Naruto? Was he helping search for him and his team? He shook his head. Of course Iruka missed him! He probably missed Sakura and Sasuke too!

He hopped down from the rock and took small, slow steps towards the shelter, feeling more of a wanting to be alone then to be by his teammates, but he knew that his teammates were expecting his return.

On the way back, he found an apple tree. He grabbed three apples off the tree, cleaning one on his jacket and eating it, while saving the other two for Sasuke and Sakura. He took a bite and his taste buds were immediately met with a burst of juicy flavor. Hunger and an overwhelming want of more took over Naruto, as he took multiple bites quickly. He finished the apple in less than five minutes. These apples were much better than the dull, flavorless apples back at the refuge. Naruto picked as many as he could hold, and then continued his walk back to the shelter.

**Team 7:**

Fifteen minutes later, he finally returned back to his teammates. He dropped the apples down by the rest of the food, then turned to look at his teammates. Both the Uchiha and the Haruno were in each other's arms, lost in the dream world. Naruto smiled, finally starting to feel tired. He lied down next to Sasuke, lying on his side facing Sasuke's back.

That's when Naruto realized that Sasuke was shaking.

_Is he cold?_ Naruto thought. _The blanket is on him._ He gingerly placed his hand on the Uchiha's arm, realizing that Sasuke had broken into cold sweat. He put his hand on Sasuke's forehead, and his skin was instantly met with a blazing heat.

_What a terrible fever! He must be feeling terrible!_ Naruto thought with a surprised look on his face. He crawled over to Sakura and gently shook her awake.

"W…What do you want, Naruto? I'm sleeping." She mumbled, half asleep.

"Sakura, Sasuke's fever is bad." Naruto replied.

"I know that, you moron." Her eyebrows furrowed.

"It's worse then earlier." Naruto pointed out.

Sakura got an astonished look on her face. "Are you serious? It can't get much worse than it was before!" She gasped, quickly sitting out. She ignored the wave of dizziness that met her body while doing it.

She pressed her palm against Sasuke's forehead. "Man Sasuke, how much higher is your fever going to get?" She whispered, grabbing medicine to help the fever. Naruto wondered if she had given that to him while he was gone, and if it was safe for him to take more, but he figured Sakura knew what she was doing.

"Wake him up for me." She said, still digging through her backpack. Naruto obliged and shook Sasuke awake. He woke up with a groan as he was struck with a headache.

"W…Wha-" His sentence was immediately cut off by a coughing fit.

"Your fever is bad Sasuke." Sakura told him. "Take this medicine." He took the medicine with some water. Sakura got a cold rag for his forehead, to settle the fever down, and to help cure Sasuke's headache. She grabbed the thermometer and slide it into Sasuke's mouth. After a minute or so, it softly beeped. It read 105 degrees.

_It's probably somewhere from 103 to 105 degrees._ She thought with a sigh. _That's still pretty high._

Sasuke began to tremble once again, letting out a miserable moan and loosely holding the sides of his head.

"Dizzy…" He murmured. Naruto just looked at him as his eyes squeezed shut.

"I know, I know…" Sakura whispered. "You have to be feeling awful. Just go to sleep. You'll feel a lot better in the morning." She whispered. Sasuke's onyx eyes looked back up at her, but she covered his eyes with the rag, making sure it was still on his forehead.

"Close your eyes and go to sleep Sasuke." She said. Sasuke let out a soft sigh.

"Goodnight Sasuke." Naruto leaned in close and whispered into Sasuke's ear. He could tell with the fever, that Sasuke was falling asleep fast.

Sakura lied down next to Sasuke and brushed delicate strokes through his hair until his breaths evened out. She raised the rag above his eyes gently and placed it back on his forehead. His eyes didn't open.

"Good. Finally asleep." She whispered with a sigh of relief. "Hopefully he'll feel better in the morning. That pesky fever just doesn't want to go away."

Naruto only stared back at Sasuke's sleeping figure. Calm and peaceful.

_I'm glad that he's pain free in a dream world._ Naruto smiled and lied back down. He pressed his back against Sasuke's so he could feel if Sasuke started trembling in pain again. He closed his eyes, and sleep took him into the dark abyss of dreams.

**END! Sorry it was such a boring chapter. I don't have any ideas anymore. :(**

**Anyways, I'm not giving up on this story! :D I apologize for the people out there who were waiting so long to read this chapter. I realllllllyyyy had a lot of trouble getting ahold of the computer I could type it on. :(**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE REVIEW! The MORE reviews I get, the FASTER this is updated! (The more reviews I get, the more bad my mom feels that she never switches laptops with me so I can update.)**

******EVERYBODY THANK alli444 FOR THIS CHAPTER!**** I showed my mom her comment on her wanted me to update, and that was the last little push she needed to give me her laptop for the rest of the night! Thank you alli444! :D**

**Once again, please review! :)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	14. Delusions Against Reality

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 14: Delusions Against Reality**

**Heeeeyyyy everybody what's shaken?**

**Well… I'm sure you all probably hate me for another late update but…..**

**Without ME, you just AWESO so you can all just SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, and START READING!**

**Hahahahaha, you know I love you. ;)**

**Anyways, thank you AKATSUKIGIRL for the idea of this chapter! :)**

**Previous:**

_He pressed his back against Sasuke's so he could feel if Sasuke started trembling in pain again. He closed his eyes, and sleep took him into the dark abyss of dreams._

**Story:**

Sasuke slept through the rest of the night. However, his fever kept climbing and climbing. In the morning, by the time Naruto woke up, it was through the roof. He was crying in his sleep, mumbling out inaudible things in a frightened voice. Naruto couldn't even get a grip on Sasuke's shoulders to shake him awake, because he was trembling so bad Naruto couldn't place his hands firmly on him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke wake up! SASUKE!" Naruto shouted. Despite his desperate efforts, it was only enough to make Sasuke's eyelids flutter open a crack. However, it was enough to make Sakura bolt upwards, kunai gripped in hand.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" She shouted. She glanced down at Sasuke, and how sweaty he was. He let out a moan of discomfort, lolling his head to the side to avoid the blazing sun on his face. "Sasuke!" She gasped. She placed her hand on his clammy forehead, but quickly pulled her hand away, gaping at her teammate.

"His fever is horrible! It has to be at least 108!" She gasped. **(A/N for all you doubtful readers out there, fevers can reach up to 110. I saw a TV show where that happened to someone)**

"Sasuke. Sasuke look to me. Stay awake and keep your eyes on me." Sakura told the young Uchiha, anxiety swelling up in her. He moaned in pain, his cloudy black eyes barely maintaining their heavy gaze at her.

"Sasuke… how many fingers am I holding up?" She asked him, pointing three fingers high into the sky. Sasuke tried to concentrate, but he only saw three Sakura's swirling around. Realizing his vision was being affected by the fever, he moaned once again, his eyes tightly squeezing shut, he rolled his head to the side again, choosing not to reply. He tried to say something, _anything,_ but all that came out was a small whimper. Sakura figured he couldn't tell.

"Shh… Sasuke. Okay, okay. I realize you can't answer." She whispered.

"S…Sa…ku…r-ra…" He stuttered. Weakly, he raised his hand in the air. Sakura grabbed it softly, but she was surprised when he jumped, letting out a gasp, and trembling again.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Did I hurt you?" She asked.

"I d-didn't… expect you… to… g-grab… m-my… h-hand…" He whispered, his arm lowering again.

"Isn't that why you raised your hand?" Sakura asked, her eyes widening a little.

"I… I d-did…n't… r-raise my… h-hand…" He whispered, followed by a rough cough.

_Oh no. He's delusional!_ Sakura panicked.

"What are you talking about Sasuke? You just raised it-" He was cut off by Sakura.

"Don't. He's highly delusional. I need you to get a cold rag for his head. He's already in a fatal condition; he'll die if it gets worse." Sakura whispered, low enough so Sasuke's couldn't hear. Naruto nodded, grabbing a rag and dashing off into the ocean, knowing the water was colder than the bottled water. While Sakura was waiting, she quickly grabbed the medical bag, pulling out the fever medicine.

"Swallow these, Sasuke." Sakura told her teammate, trying to get him to swallow. He was so delusional, he didn't even recognize Sakura's voice. It seemed dark, vaguely familiar…

"ITACHI!" He suddenly screamed, leaping to his feet, despite the pain coursing through his weak body. He held his hand out, chakra bursting in the palm on his hand, creating sizzling lightning sparks.

"Sasuke it not Itachi! It's me, Sakura!" Her cry hit deaf ears, as Sasuke's Chidori grew larger and larger slowly in the palm of his hand.

Then Naruto ran into the shelter.

"Sakura, what's… SASUKE CALM DOWN!" Naruto screamed suddenly, seeing the Chidori grow wider.

"Itachi! I will kill you! I'll…" He was roughly cut off by a sickening cough that made blood flood out of his system.

"He needs medical attention now! If he wastes anymore chakra, he's going to work his body to death!" Sakura gasped.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, forming a Rasengan in the palm of his hand.

"Naruto don't! If Sasuke's body can't handle any more trauma!" She told her teammate. Naruto let his Rasengan fade, but he instead tackled Sasuke to the ground, letting his body lie on the blankets and his head hit the pillow, to avoid any damage.

"Get off!" Sasuke screamed, his arms and legs flailing all over the place, desperate to push Naruto's body off of him. He couldn't take the extremely hot temperature of his attackers body. Sasuke released an aberrant cry that reminded Naruto of the first time Sasuke had fought Itachi. When Itachi had pressed him against the wall and sent him into a world of pain and suffering, and Sasuke had released that cry. That uncharacteristic, dejected scream that tightened the knot in Naruto's stomach when he had heard it. It was so different. Sasuke's scream was so different. Like he was frightened, like he had been pushed to the limit,

like he was broken.

Upon hearing this same cry, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's wrists, pulling them to the sides of his head, pressing weight against them. In this defenseless position, Sasuke immediately stopped thrashing. His legs rested calmly against the smooth wood of the shelter, along with his hands that were still being held down by Naruto.

_I guess if Sasuke's body is vulnerable, he'll stop thrashing. _Naruto thought. Sasuke was glaring daggers at Naruto, who silently thanked the heavens that looks couldn't kill. If they could, he'd be dead already. But as soon as Naruto bent down a little closer to him, he became frightened again. He pressed his eyes shut tightly until they shook, and Naruto couldn't help but realize his expression was, again, the same as his fight with Itachi.

_He must be so scared. He probably thinks were going to do the same thing his brother did to him that time, because he thinks we're Itachi._ Naruto thought sadly. He leaned down closer to Sasuke, so close, he could feel Sasuke's rough, irregular breaths against his cheeks and nose, hot and ragged. He was panting deeply, most likely from both fear and the exhaustion. Naruto bent down just a little farther; this time his lips were mere inches from Sasuke's ear. His cheek was touching the side of Sasuke's face.

"Shh Sasuke. It's me. Naruto. Shh…" Naruto whispered as softly as he could. Sasuke's eyes snapped open upon hearing the words, letting out a gasp. Naruto raised his head, looking directly into Sasuke's eyes. His beautiful eyes of endless pools of onyx. They looked so deep, as if diving into them, you would never be able to measure the depth within. They were so wide with fear, so glossy as if they were about to release tears.

"Sasuke…" He whispered again. Sasuke was frozen. He didn't breath, blink, or even twitch. For the next ten seconds, it stayed the same way, before Sasuke sucked in a deep breath and let out another cry.

"Itachi!" He yelled again. Suddenly, his arms were released, and his body was immediately embraced by strong, muscular arms. He felt a warm cheek pressed against his own, and a soft breath hit his ear as a lulling voice whispered words to him.

"Shh… Sasuke. It's not Itachi. It's Naruto. Itachi would never hug you like this... It's Naruto… Shh…" Naruto murmured into his delusional teammates ear. Sasuke was so shocked he didn't even move his arms to a more comfortable position. They stayed in that position for minutes, both of them lost track of time while they just sat there, unmoving. Both of them waited for a response from the other.

"N... Naru…to…" Sasuke finally whispered, his eyes drooping halfway upon realizing who it was.

_It worked._ Naruto realized. He slowly lifted his head, still above Sasuke's body, and looked in his teammates eyes again. Sasuke was so stunned by the reaction, he was frozen on spot again, his eyes widening again. Naruto relaxed slightly; even though Sasuke was still frightened, he recognized his teammate's voice. Naruto caressed his hair soothingly, hoping it would calm Sasuke down, even though he was still motionless.

"Sakura. Do what you need to do now." Naruto said. Sasuke still didn't move; just sat there, staring into Naruto's sapphire eyes, as if they were his only savior from his suffering. Sakura didn't hesitate to rush over to her teammates' sides. She realized that Sasuke's only escape from delusions was Naruto's voice, and she also realized that Sasuke's body was so alarmed upon being brought back to reality, that his gaze would never leave Naruto's eyes. Naruto eyes were his only reminder that he was still here. Still alive. Still in reality.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered, not knowing if Naruto knew not to break it. She was surprised of Sasuke's actions, and thankful that he was at least breathing.

"I know Sakura. I'm not going to break the stare." Naruto told her, his eyes never leaving Sasuke's. "Just do what you have to do." Sakura nodded and grabbed Sasuke's hand, raising it in the air and started slowly moving it back and forth calmly. Sasuke's breath hitched slightly upon feeling it, but his eyes never left Naruto's.

"Sasuke, you hear nothing. Nothing but my voice. Focus on my voice. relax your body. Let your mind drift. Feel your eyes getting heavier and heavier." Sasuke didn't seem to move, and Sakura didn't even know if he could hear her, but it was worth a try. If he could hear her, it would make him fall into a trance easier.

_Sasuke's eyes are getting heavy. I think he's getting drowsy._ Naruto thought, listening to Sakura's voice and watching Sasuke's eyes.

"Naruto. Start slowly closing his eyes, as if your falling asleep." Sakura whispered low enough so Sasuke wouldn't be able to hear.

"'Kay." Naruto whispered.

"Heavier and heavier…" She whispered. Naruto started slowly closing his eyes, stopping at halfway and opening them again, but slowly having them slide shut halfway again. Sasuke's eyelids began to droop.

"You're getting sleepy, Sasuke." She kept her voice low and calm. Sasuke's eyes began sliding shut even more, and his eyes were nearly halfway shut before he opened them fully again. He wasn't going into a trance easy.

"Naruto. You're the only one he's going to fully listen to." She whispered. Naruto nodded and took over.

"Listen to my voice, Sasuke. You can hear nothing, except my voice." He said. Sakura nodded to him in approval, still swinging his arm back and forth.

"You're getting sleepy. So very sleepy. All you want to do is just close your eyes and relax." Sasuke's eyelids lowered slightly. "Every time you hear my voice, your eyelids get heavier and heavier, and your body becomes more and more relaxed." Sasuke's eyes once again began to droop slightly.

"Heavier and heavier…" Naruto whispered. Sasuke's eyes slide even farther downwards until they were nearly closed. There were but mere slits desperately clinging onto his consciousness and his view on Naruto's eyes. Sakura immediately realized it was the right time to send him into the trance. She quickly tugged his arm and Naruto, upon seeing it, said, "Sleep."

But the exact opposite happened. Sasuke's eyes jolted opened, and he let out a gasp.

_So close… verbal hypnosis doesn't work on him. We're going to have to try… pendulum hypnosis?_ Sakura took off her necklace. A simple piece of jewelry with a medium sized fake diamond.

_I see what she's doing._ Naruto thought. _Verbal hypnosis isn't working… so she's using a pendulum. But how's she going to break Sasuke's stare?_ He wondered.

"Here, Naruto." Sakura told him, handing him the necklace.

Naruto grasped the air around it until he finally found it, and took the jewelry from her hand.

"How do I break his stare?" Naruto asked her.

"Start swinging it in front of your eyes. After awhile, slowly start closing your eyes. It won't make him sleep, but his sight should break away from your own, slowly, and he'll probably begin to start following the pendulum."

"Okay…" Naruto said, unsure of whether it would work.

"Hold on a minute Naruto." Sakura said, leaning over Sasuke but not blocking his vision.

"Sasuke, if you can hear us, say something. Moan, cough, speak, do whatever you can manage. If all you can manage is twitching your fingers or parting your lips more, do just that."

Naruto examined his face, while Sakura examined his body. About 20 seconds later, Sakura saw his fingers twitch slightly. "His finger twitched!" She said.

"His lips parted too! As if he was trying to speak!" Naruto gasped.

"Okay Sasuke. I know you're listening. Thank you for responding." Sakura whispered, turning to Naruto.

"Use words. They'll work." She told him.

"Okay." Naruto whispered. Bringing the pendulum up in front of his face, where Sasuke's eyes were. He slowly started swinging it back and forth.

"Just watch the pendulum. Watch it swing." Naruto whispered. He stayed like that for a few minutes, before he closed his eyes halfway. Sasuke's eyes still stayed there. When Naruto finally closed shut, Sasuke's eyes slowly began to follow the pendulum. At first, he just slowly moved his eyes, but then, it slowly progressed. His eyes followed the pendulum, every full swing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Sasuke eyes continued to watch the pendulum swing slowly. Naruto opened his eyes again, but Sasuke's eyes were locked on the pendulum.

_Thank Kami_. Naruto thought. **(A/N Kami is God in Japanese)**

"Keep it going Naruto." Sakura whispered. She turned to look at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, look at me." She said.

**Sasuke's mind:**

Somewhere in the depths of Sasuke's mind, he heard a voice. A soft female voice that sounded vaguely familiar. But the soft words merely bounced through the walls of his hollow mind. He couldn't understand what the girl was saying.

He wanted to call out to the voice, to see who it was, to see what they were saying, but he couldn't speak. He could only focus on the pendulum. Back and forth. Back and forth. The glistening sparkle of it was so pretty. He lost his will to respond to the voice. All he wanted to do was focus on the pendulum. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

He felt his eyes begin to grow tired, and this time, when the voice spoke up, he could hear it clearly. Even though he didn't know who it was, but the voice was lulling and soft.

**Normal POV:**

"You're getting sleepy, Sasuke. Very sleepy…" Naruto whispered, quieting his voice.

"Your eyes are getting heavier and heavier…" Sasuke's eyes began to droop.

"Heavier and heavier…" Naruto repeated. Sasuke found it increasingly hard to stay awake, his eyelids begin to close.

"Let yourself go, Sasuke. Let your mind just… drift…" Sasuke took one last look at the beautiful pendulum, before his eyelids slide shut, and the hypnosis took over him, sending him into a peaceful state of mind. Sakura immediately took over, bringing his body up so he was on his knees. She sat on her knees herself and pulled Sasuke's upper body to her chest, then placed her hand on his forehead, rolling his head into a circle.

"If you can hear me, nod your head." Sakura whispered. Sasuke gave a slight nod in his sleep.

"Good." She stopped rolling his head around. "Now, as soon as I wake up you up, you will be awake and you will not be delusional. However, as soon as I say 'Hypnotized Sasuke' you will fall back into a trance, and you won't wake up until I say 'Wake up Sasuke.' If you understand, say 'yes Sakura.'"

"Yes Sakura." Sasuke's barely audible voice spoke up.

"Good." She said. "Now, awake Sasuke." She said loudly. Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped open. He stiffened at his unknown location, but once he saw he was against his girlfriend, he relaxed.

"S-Sakura…" He sighed in relief. Sakura smiled and stroked his hair softly.

"Your fever is still terrible, Sasuke. I need to treat it." She whispered in his ear. He nodded slightly, burying his head into Sakura's shoulder more.

"Hypnotized Sasuke." She whispered into his ear. He was about to ask what she meant, when he was met with a wave a dizziness. Seconds later, he was sound asleep.

"Alright." Sakura whispered, lying him down on his back again. "Let's reduce this fever." Sakura knew she couldn't do much without proper medical supplies. She had given Sasuke the most powerful fever medicine they had in the medical supplies, then rewet the cloth that Naruto had submerged in ocean water. After lying that on his forehead, Naruto stripped him down to his boxers, then covered him with the blanket so he'd sweat out the fever. Sakura took some of the bottled water, since they hadn't boiled any recently, and made sure she gave Sasuke a lot of it. That was all they could do to keep the fever reduced.

Hours later, blurred by fear, boredom, and sleep, Sakura checked her teammate's temperature again.

"Finally, we're making some progress." Sakura sighed. "His fever has been reduced. It's probably 103 or 104." Naruto sighed in relief.

"Should we wake him up?" Naruto asked her.

"Not yet, let's bring it down a little more." Sakura said. "We don't want to wake him up and have something bad happen again." Naruto nodded in agreement, continuing to help Sasuke as best as he could.

A few more hours passed before Sakura checked placed a warm hand on his forehead to check for signs of fever. Naruto sat waiting patiently for the few seconds waiting to hear the results. Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"He's gonna be just fine." She smiled. "He's healthy." Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "Yes!" He said happily, raising a fist in the air. Sakura smiled, and she and Naruto redressed him so he wouldn't get too cold from the chill of the wind as the sun started to set.

"Alright Sasuke, let's get you up now before you sleep the whole night away too." Sakura whispered. She made sure he was in a comfortable position and said in a slightly deeper tone, "Wake up Sasuke."

At first, Sasuke didn't move. He lied limply on the wood; the only signs of life from him his deep breathing. But then he sucked in a breath, raising his head slightly in the air, but stopping with a grunt halfway.

"Careful Sasuke. You just woke up." Sakura warned her teammate. She helped him sit up, but his tiredness soon had him leaning against Sakura again. She didn't mind, and she stroked Sasuke's back and hair comfortingly.

"Sakura... Thank you…" Sasuke whispered into her ear.

"No problem, Sasuke. I love you." She murmured back, laughing softly.

"Man, Sasuke. Tomorrow I'll have to tell you about everything you did while you had that fever!" Naruto laughed.

_He was freaking out then, and now he just makes a laugh about it? Idiot…_ Sakura thought. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"It's late Sasuke… I know you just woke up, but maybe it's a good idea to get some rest? Especially since you just got over that nasty fever." Sakura suggested, snuggling under the blanket. Naruto crawled in with her, leaving room for Sasuke in between them.

"I'll sleep in a little while. I've slept the day away, so I want to be awake for awhile." He replied with a sigh.

Sakura nodded, understanding where he was coming from. Naruto yawned loudly next to her.

"Night, Sasuke." He said breathlessly before settling into the blankets and falling asleep quickly.

"Night." Sakura murmured to her boyfriend softly.

"Goodnight Sakura." Sasuke smiled back to her, resting his forehead against her own.

"I love you so much. Thank you for being here for me when I really needed it the most." He told her.

"Sasuke we're all here for each other. It's the least I can do." She planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Now come lay down." She said, patting the empty space between her and the blonde. "There's plenty of room."

Sasuke smiled, then slid under the covers, burying his body into the blanket and his head into the pillow, sighing contently. He looked out of the doorway and realized how dark it had gotten so quickly. Sasuke merely closed his eyes. He felt soft, gentle fingertips caress his cheek.

"Goodnight Sasuke." She whispered to him lovingly.

"Night." He murmured. He was asleep in seconds. Sakura smiled to herself when she realized he had fallen asleep. She buried her head into his chest a little, snuggling into the warmth, before closing her eyes and falling asleep with muscular, safe arms wrapped around her small form all throughout the night.

**Done!**

**Alright, I'm happy. This one came out a lot quicker than the last one did. That's because of all the reviews! ^-^ Keep it up everyone! The more reviews I get, the quicker the updates! :D Come on everyone, would it kill you to click on one box and type a few words? Hahaha… anyways… I hope you are all doing well! :)**

**Akatsukigirl gets credit for this chapter… it was her idea for Sasuke to have the delusions! I found it as a perfect idea! Thank you Akatsukigirl… if it wasn't for you, this chapter would've taken much longer to come out, because I would've had to make up my own idea, which would've taken awhile.**

**EVERYONE THANK HER!**

**Hmm... remember...**

** (at) gmail (dot) com**

**Until next time**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	15. The Swoosh of the Swing

**Paranoia at Silent Island**

**Chapter 15: The Swoosh of the Swing**

**Thanks you to everybody that reviewed to my previous chapter! :) You guys ROCK! :D**

**Anyway, I have something to say to K.T. (my first reviewer of chapter 14)**

**Okay one) Sasuke had a fever the previous chapter. I didn't give him a fever just now. I didn't hurt him, either. This whole chapter was pretty much about **_**lowering**_** the fever. I didn't hurt him or make him less healthy. Two) the idea of the chapter wasn't mine. The chapter idea was Akatsukigirl's. Don't get mad at her about though. Three) Naruto has been hurt. It's hard to hurt Naruto because of the Kyuubi healing him. Ever since chapter 10, Naruto has been hurt. After the waterfall incident, when he and Sasuke were trying to find Sakura, and getting bitten by the snake, for example. Kyuubi makes it hard for Naruto to get hurt, and stay hurt. I'm open for suggestions though. If you have any ideas, email them to me at**

**Fanfic (dot) SasukeUchihasGuardian gmail (dot) com**

**Thanks for reading my story, K.T. :)**

**Anyways, onto this chapter. K.T., you may not like this chapter very much either. I'll try to add a little more of Naruto into this chapter.**

**Previous:**

_Sasuke merely closed his eyes. He felt soft, gentle fingertips caress his cheek._

"_Goodnight Sasuke." She whispered to him lovingly._

**Story:**

The night proved rough for everyone. Sometime in the hours of darkness, rain started pelting the shelter, and hitting the team and their supplies through the hole in the wooden ceiling. Naruto had to summon clones and run on top of the roof with the slightly high winds to put the tarp over it. Sakura and Sasuke had slept through that, but it was only ten minutes after that that Sakura woke up, followed by Sasuke five minutes later. Naruto hadn't fallen asleep from the time he had covered the roof.

They were all awake for at least a half an hour, until Sasuke finally slipped back into sleep. Sakura and Naruto were still having a rough time. Naruto was cold and drenched in rain. Even though the inside of his jacket was dry and warm, his body was still chilled by the rain in his hair and feet.

Naruto decided Sakura was coldest of them all. Her pink dress left her legs and arms exposed to the frigid wind blowing swiftly into the shelter and high speeds. Naruto had shrugged off his jacket, draping it over Sakura's body to keep her warm. Had she not have felt like hypothermia was setting in, she wouldn't have accepted, as it clashed horribly with her bubblegum hair.

Finally, after another twenty-five to thirty minutes, she had finally fallen asleep with her teammate. Knowing both of his teammates were asleep and warm, it made it a little easier to fall asleep only ten minutes later.

Everyone slept for two hours.

Though the winds weren't dangerously high, they were fast enough to rock the shelter slightly. The creaking of the shelter awoke Sasuke with a start. The coldness of the air made him shiver, which woke Naruto up, since they were pressed back to back. He inched his body closer to Sasuke, then turned around so he was facing Sasuke, and pulled Sasuke closer to him, attempting to warm up using each other's body heat. The heat somewhat felt good on Sasuke's back, but his chest and face were still freezing, so he turned over and pressed his face into the crook of Naruto's neck, slowly beginning to drift off again. It was at that time that Sakura had woken up. She sucked in a deep breath, then looked around blearily, to see Naruto's shining blue eyes looking back at her.

"How long have you been up?" She whispered to him softly.

"Not long." He replied. "I just woke up."

Sakura nodded. "Is Sasuke sleeping?" Upon hearing his name, Sasuke let out a small groan, opening his eyes halfway.

"He was just drifting off." Naruto replied.

"Oh, sorry Sasuke. Go back to sleep." Sakura whispered, rubbing his cold back a few times.

"Hn…" He closed his eyes again.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. Sakura did the same, but sleep didn't come for either of them.

After a half an hour of lying there, each aware of each other's awareness, they both decided to stay up to talk. Being careful not to wake their still sleeping teammate, they sat just at the edge of their makeshift bed, by Sasuke's feet.

"Can't you sleep?" Naruto whispered to her softly.

"No… it's difficult to sleep when it's this cold yet. Especially when you're used to warm weather." She replied.

"Yea," Naruto sighed, "I know."

Sakura's sea foam eyes trailed to Naruto's arms, dotted by red goose bumps.

"Do you want your jacket back?" Sakura whispered, beginning to shrug it off of her.

"No." Naruto said quickly, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "You'll be colder than me without it. I'll be fine." She looked doubtful but she decided to let it go for now.

"We've been here for seemingly weeks. Do you think we're going to get rescued?" She whispered.

"Oh course we will!" The blonde replied. It was almost like déjà vu, only this time, it was Sakura who was the doubtful one.

"I'm worried. I'm worried about us, about Sasuke, about you…" She trailed off.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Kyuubi heals me whenever something bad happens. That's why when I was bitten by the snake, I didn't die."

_Kyuubi..?_ Sakura wondered, deciding to discuss it later. "We're running out of food…"

"…And we'll find more." Naruto cut her off, finishing her sentence with something reassuring. Sakura looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"We're running out of medical supplies." She stated.

"Then we'll just have to live without it, won't we?" Naruto smiled. "Trust me, Sakura. Anything you say to me I will just throw back at you."

"What about Sasuke, though?" She looked back at her teammate, curled up in a ball under the blanket.

"What about him?" Naruto asked.

"He's… so weak. So fragile right now. It seems like one thing after the other. His immune system is shot. The trauma, the injuries, the sicknesses…" She paused to take a breath before continuing. "Everything leading up to here, especially the shark attack, has affected his health. Because of this, his immune system is so low, that he gets sick all the time. I'm worried. If he catches the wrong flu or disease, he's going to die, and there will be nothing we can do about it." She began to cry. "I just don't know what to do about it anymore! I can't save him from any of this!"

Naruto pulled her into a warm embrace. "I know it's difficult. It's very complicated, I know. But whether he lives or dies here, it's not your fault. None of this was your fault, my fault, or Sasuke's fault. It just happens. What's done is done." He hugged her closer when he felt her stiffen. "You can't control the future. If he was meant to live through this, he'll live through it. If he was meant to spend the rest of his days here, to pass away by the only people he has left, comfortable and at peace, then that is how it'll end for him." Naruto stroked through her bubblegum hair. "Please, just don't' cry."

A hiccup escaped her, and she settled into Naruto's warm chest. It was how they sat for the next twenty minutes, before Sakura finally broke from the embrace.

"Naruto…" She whispered softly. "What if he dies? What are we going to do?" She asked him.

"We'll wait until that time comes, Sakura." He said.

"But that time may be coming soon. His condition is terrible right now." She whispered.

"Well then, what do you prefer we do?" He asked her.

"I don't know…" She whispered. "Sasuke dying from sickness just doesn't seem possible."

"Then don't think about it. Wait until it is absolute." Naruto replied.

Sakura only nodded, not wanting to answer.

"It's pretty late, do you want to head to bed?" Naruto asked.

Sakura merely nodded, not sure if she'd be able to sleep after the conversation, but definitely ready to try. They both went back under the covers to attempt sleep again. It took a half an hour for Sakura to fall asleep, and an hour and fifteen minutes for Naruto.

The storm finally started to subside, and the sun just started to peak above the horizon when Naruto had woken up… again. He gave a small growl in annoyance of the lack of sleep. When he looked over Sasuke's sleeping form, he realized that Sakura was already awake as well.

"Already awake?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "For almost two hours. Sasuke had woken up about a half an hour ago too, but he had fallen back asleep fairly quickly." Almost as if hearing his name had roused him, Sasuke opened his eyes, looking up at Naruto.

"Looks like he's up again. Morning Sasuke." He gave a soft laugh.

"Hn." Was his tired reply as he looked outside through the door.

"It's still pretty early in the morning." Sakura commented, taking a deep breath. Naruto nodded.

"Are any of us going to be able to fall back asleep?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head, while Sasuke just sat there, unmoving. Sakura though he might be able to, but wasn't sure, which was why he was choosing not to answer her question.

"Let's try to at least get a few more hours, at least. We all had a pretty rough night." Naruto said, and Sakura nodded in agreement. She took of her jacket and gave it to her blonde teammate.

"The storm's gone, so here. Take your jacket back before you freeze to death." She said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. Naruto nodded and grabbed the jacket, slipping it back on. "Thanks Sakura." He whispered. She only nodded, settling into the blanket and pillow more. Naruto did the same, while Sasuke was already doing so.

About twenty minutes later, Naruto was asleep again. It was only Sakura and Sasuke who were awake then. But eventually, it was Sakura who began to enter the world of dreams. Sasuke was the last one up, not being able to sleep anymore, despite his overwhelming tiredness. It took a good hour before he could fall asleep, and by then, the sun was beginning to rise higher and higher, showing the unaware team that morning was coming.

The first one up was Naruto that morning, being roused by the bright warm sun. He sat up and yawned quietly, enjoying the warmth of the sun that was absent when he really needed it. He sat quietly, wondering what they were going to do about the shortage of food. They desperately needed to get some more food. Naruto quickly wrote a note on a piece of paper, and dashed off into the forest to go find some.

It was a half an hour later that Sakura woke up, quickly taking note of Naruto's absence, replaced by a small piece of paper next to where Sasuke's hand was resting.

She opened it and read the folded note:

_Sakura,_

_I went off into the forest to go find something for us to eat. I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me._

_Naruto_

Sakura sighed in relief. No worries. He was only getting some food. She looked at the food supply. Most of the stuff they had was ruined by all of the rain from the night before. She sighed and lied back down, patiently waiting for her young blonde teammate to return.

About ten to twenty minutes later, Naruto rushed back into the shelter, carrying some wet bananas and apples.

"Found some food." He whispered, upon seeing one of his teammates was awake.

"Thanks." She whispered, slowly sitting up. Naruto handed her an apple, and set the remainder of the food in the corner by the door, throwing out all of the stuff that wouldn't be eaten. He then grabbed an apple for himself and sat down next to Sasuke again.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke woke up. He ate the last apple that Naruto had brought, leaving three bananas that they eventually ate for lunch a few hours later. Everyone's strength returned, but so did boredom. Being stranded on a deserted island, there was nothing to do except swim, draw in the sand or in a notebook, or talk. But the days were seemingly endless, so everything they did got boring really quickly. Because he was still recovering, Sasuke had the hardest time finding something to do. He couldn't train, or he'd get sick again or overwork his body too much. He mostly meditated his time away, relaxing his body and helping rebuild his chakra so he could heal much faster.

Sakura went out to fish the remaining crackers they had. Using the rest of the crackers frightened them. Fear of not having enough food stuck in their mind the rest of the day. They would have to possibly spear a fish with a kunai, or maybe lure it with a berry, if they could find a berry bush.

By sunset, they were all tired of the few things they could do while stranded.

"This island is so boring. There is _nothing_ to do on it." Naruto had been saying all day. His teammates had agreed every time he had mentioned it.

They had tried to come up with games to play, or something to do that wouldn't be dangerous to their health, or require a higher intake on calories and food. It was much more complicated than they had thought. They ended up drawing pictures little by little in the soft sand on the beach, and the first person to guess correctly what it was would go the next round.

Naruto mostly drew ramen related items, or things that matched his personality. He drew a sloppy ramen bowl, ignoring the techniques Sakura had taught him awhile back, and the man at Ichiraku who always made him his favorite kinds.

Sakura seemed to draw animals mostly, with an occasional thing from back home. She had drawn a bird, a cat, Kakashi's dog Pakkun, the swing in front of the academy, and the front of her house.

Sasuke mostly drew weapons, or things dealing with training. He drew kunai, shuriken, wooden targets, and demon wind shurikens in great detail, even in the sand. It was much easier to guess what he was drawing, since his artistic skills were very high.

The game only lasted an hour or so. Drawing and guessing was boring and very childish. They never would've played it from the start, had it not been so boring at the island. Naruto decided to take a walk in the forest for awhile, while Sakura and Sasuke stayed back in the shelter. Naruto walked just outside the forest edge, which was pretty close to deep water in some areas. While walking underneath the beautiful moonlight, he found a tree with some thick vines. He tugged on one, realizing it was sturdy and wouldn't break.

_A perfect swing! It's something to do while we're here! We can swing on the vine and jump into the water!_ He realized. He dashed back to the shelter at full speed, keeping track of where he was running so he'd find the tree again.

When he came back and told his teammates, they had agreed to do it tomorrow, but not in the dark, in fear of the unknown creatures in the waters at night. They went to bed fairly quickly after Naruto's return, since they all lacked a lot of sleep from the night before.

~*~  
In the morning, Sakura was the first one to wake up. She yawned and looked up at the sky, her gaze landing on the beautiful cloudless atmosphere. She glanced at her teammates, seeing them both slowly rousing from their sleep.

About three minutes later, Sakura went to go fetch some food, just seconds before Naruto and Sasuke woke up simultaneously. They looked around, wondering where Sakura had gone. But knowing she would be fine, they didn't worry too much.

About ten minutes later, Sakura had come back with a few bananas that looked like they had been picked too soon.

"There weren't any bananas that looked ready to be picked, but I had to get something." Was her explanation. She and Sasuke skipped breakfast that morning.

When Naruto finished his banana, they all changed into their swimming suits, which they had found in their bags just recently. Sasuke and Naruto changed together, but each on opposite sides of the shelter, and facing away from each other. Sakura changed while they stood away from the door, or else they could've seen her.

When Sakura came out of the shelter in her red and yellow decorated two piece, she nodded to Naruto and Sasuke. She was so caught up with the team's issues; she hadn't realized how skinny she and her teammates were. She had always been concerned by how skinny Sasuke and Naruto were, but now, her concerns were doubled. Naruto's green trunks looked almost a size too big, and above Sasuke's black ones, you could clearly see his ribs, as if he was dangerously underweight.

"Sakura, you're so skinny!" Naruto gasped.

"Have you looked at yourself lately, Naruto?" She retorted. "Anyways, I'm worried for the both of you. You guys both look underweight, especially you, Sasuke. I'm worried." She said.

"Hn. I'm fine." He said coldly, turning his head away from her sharply. Sakura was still uneasy about it, but she let it drop for now. They were all underweight, or at least close to it. They all needed to be fattened up, but stranded on an island, with barely any food left made it difficult to achieve that.

When they reached the giant vine swing, Naruto immediately dashed for it, grinning ear to ear.

"I'm going first!" He laughed, running up behind it and giving it a couple of good tugs.

"Naruto be careful!" Sakura called. Ignoring her, Naruto chuckled slightly, before jumping onto the vine and swinging back and forth.

"It's safe!" He said. "Now to jump!" He took a running start, then jumped onto the vine, sailing across through the air, then letting go and plummeting down towards the sea.

"Yea!" He screamed, hitting the water. Sakura and Sasuke looked down, only to see a large amount of air bubbles hit the water's surface. It wasn't the blond haired ninja that rose, but a thick layer of blood pooled around the area.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.

Sasuke let out a growl. "Idiot must not have seen that there was rocks underneath the surface." He was seething in anger. "I have to get him." He grabbed hold of the vine.

"Sasuke no! You'll hit the rocks too! Swim from a safe area!" Sakura said.

"There's no time for that! Nearby sharks will eat him alive, that is, if he hasn't already died from the wound or blood loss." He gritted his teeth, then swung off the edge, making sure to land close to, but not over where Naruto hit the water.

"Naruto!" He called seconds before he hit the water. Sakura watched in worry, looking for either Sasuke or Naruto rise. When neither didn't, she began to panic.

Images flashed in her mind. She saw Naruto rise, having only hit his leg, and having to rescue a dead or fatally wounded Sasuke. She also imagined Sasuke and Naruto both striking rocks, which happened to be most likely to happen.

She gasped as Naruto nor Sasuke rose up. Another pool of blood formed next to Naruto's. Tears formed in Sakura's eyes as hard realization hit her. Both of her teammates had hit rocks, and there was nothing she could do. Her voice became high pitched as she began hyperventilating.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" She cried, in too much of shock to take her eyes off the sight of blood and salt water mixture. Suddenly, the patch of blood was broken in the middle, as a giant glob of black hair appeared, and a wet ivory face covered with blood and salt water.

"Sasuke!" She gasped, both in both thankfulness and horror. She could see him wincing, and she wondered where he was hurt, and if it was fatal or not. He took a deep breath, and Sakura saw him dive back underwater, attempting to grab his teammate.

Twelve seconds passed before Sasuke finally rose again, this time his teammate next to him. She saw Naruto inhale deeply, then pant roughly, squeezing his eyes shut. Sakura couldn't tell if he was conscious or not.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" She called. Sasuke started making his way back to shore, paddling as quick as he could, but Sakura could see just how much of a chore it was for him. She immediately began racing back to the shoreline, off of the huge cliff, her sight never leaving her teammates. She saw Sasuke gasp in pain, his kicks stopping and faltering slightly.

"Come on, Sasuke!" Sakura encouraged him. She saw him paddle more furiously, desperate to get himself and his teammate out of danger, fighting through excruciating pain.

Suddenly, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks as Sasuke gave a cry of pain, a mere second before he was pulled underwater, his arms flailing above his head before he and Naruto were completely submerged. Sakura immediately knew what was going on.

"Sasuke no!" She called, knowing a shark had grabbed him. Déjà vu.

Under the water, Sasuke had released all of his air gasping in pain as a shark clamped down on his leg and dragged him underwater.

Knowing he had to act fast, as Naruto was slowly sinking farther and farther down, Sasuke immediately punched the shark three times, and once it released, Sasuke kicked it as hard as he could through the water with his good leg. He punched both of its eyes the same time, making it finally retreat. Having no time to think, he swam down more, slinging his teammate's arm over his shoulder, and swimming as fast as he could to the surface, avid to get air. He could feel himself getting dizzy from lack of oxygen, and he could only imagine Naruto's condition.

When he finally broke through the surface of the water, and sucked in enormous amounts of oxygen, he heard Sakura call his name.

Sakura was relieved when she saw her teammates rise again, but Sakura could tell Sasuke was overworking his already abused body. As he began swimming again, he stopped dead and cried out again. He didn't sink down underwater again, but he couldn't continue swimming anymore.

"S-Sakura!" He screamed out, before attempting to swim again. He only made it about two or three feet before he had to stop again.

"Sasuke come on! Keep fighting!" She called out to him. "You have to get out of there!" As Sasuke fought through the agony, Sakura took off again, reaching the bottom of the hill. She leapt into the sand, and then ran into the water, beginning to swim out to her teammates to try to help Sasuke.

When Sakura finally reached her teammates, she did her best to get Naruto onto her back, while trying to support to Sasuke, who was finding it harder and harder to stay conscious. He leaned heavily onto Sakura, trying his best to swim to the shore. Sakura was finally able to touch the ground, and she could get her teammates easily to the shore.

When she got onto the sand, she dropped to the ground, exhausted, along with Sasuke. She had only collapsed to her knees, while Sasuke had dropped straight onto his stomach, turning his head so he wouldn't breathe in the sand and waves when they lapped above his head. He was panting roughly and sweating, his whole body drenched in salt water and blood. His eyebrows were furrowed together as he sucked in oxygen. His lungs burned from the lack of it.

Sakura checked on Naruto first, since he was unconscious, and found that his back had slammed onto a rock pretty hard, and his head, which had knocked him out. His arm and leg was sliced open, which had been the reason for all of the blood loss. Sakura couldn't do much for him, but she quickly dashed to go get the medical kit. She sprayed something on the wounds to keep them from getting infected, and then momentarily left the blonde to check over Sasuke.

When he had hit the water, his torso and his arm were sliced open and were bleeding heavily, and the shark bite on his leg was pretty worrying, but thankfully not fatal like the first one. Overall, it was mostly exhaustion that was getting to him so bad.

She sprayed the spray on his wounds too, and wrapped both of the boys up with medical gauze before the blood loss got life threatening. Sasuke couldn't stand the exhaustion, so Sakura ended up half carrying, half dragging his body by the armpits up the small hill. When she lowered his upper body onto the sand, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he lost consciousness.

"Sasuke!" She gasped, quickly checking over him. He was breathing extremely hard from both exhaustion and pain, and his eyebrows were furrowed together, cold sweat forming under them. Sakura let out a small sigh, checking over Naruto as well.

"Sakura…" He whispered to her as he heard her rush over to his body.

"You're still awake." She breathed, sea foam eyes brightening with hope as she examined his body carefully.

"I'm… fine… Sasuke is the one… you should worry… about…" He whispered between heavy pants.

"You're in just as bad, if not worse condition than him." Her voice was deeper, giving it a more mature feeling as she spoke. "Just take it easy. You are the one I'm worried about the most right now. That rock pierced through your back when you hit the water. Your arm and leg were sliced open pretty bad; you lost a lot of blood."

"What about… Sasuke?" He whispered, finding it painful for his lungs to bring out words.

"You should worry about yourself right now." She huffed. "I'll take care of him, Naruto. He'll be just fine."

"But he passed out-"

"He's exhausted right now." Sakura cut him off sharply. He jumped into the water and swam vigorously, carried you back, and also fought off a shark. I'm surprised he made it to the shore conscious." She placed a hand over Naruto's eyes. "Please sleep. I've told you all you need to know. Now don't worry. I have this situation under control. You and Sasuke will be just fine."

"Okay… Sakura…" He whispered, his voice hoarse. Sakura felt his eyelashes flutter against the palm of her hand, and she felt his breaths almost simultaneously even out as he finally went to sleep.

"Alright." She sighed to herself. "Let's get you guys back to the shelter." She picked Naruto up in her arms carefully so she wouldn't wake him again just as he went back into the world of dreams, and dashed back into the shelter, setting him down on the makeshift bed, but leaving the covers off so she could set Sasuke into it right away.

When she came back to get Sasuke, her eyes instantly met with dazed onyx ones, and she stopped at his side.

"Now you're awake, huh?" She said with a hint of slyness.

Sasuke just blinked at her, before closing his eyes again. "Hn." He said between his heavy breathing.

Sakura bent down and slid her arms underneath his knees and shoulder blades. "You know, Naruto was really concerned about you." She whispered into his ear, lifting his body into her arms. Feeling the sudden warmth press against him, he rested his head gently against her body, sighing in content.

Sakura gave a wide smile. "You don't care?" She laughed.

Sasuke snuggled into her warmth more. "Warm…" He mumbled into her skin.

"That's pretty uncharacteristic of you to say, Sasuke. It's cute." She giggled quietly.

This brought a barely noticeable smile to Sasuke's lips, and he felt his body start to gently sway as Sakura began carrying him back to the shelter. Once inside, she gently lowered Sasuke to the makeshift bed. He was nearly asleep, being lulled by her mellow movement, and continued to stay in his sleepy state even as he broke away from the warmth.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke." She whispered to him.

"Hmm…" He whispered, making no attempt to fix the words that came out too slurred for his girlfriend to understand.

She patted his head softly. "Goodnight." She murmured, gently pressing her lips to his. Sasuke's eyes seem to glow with pleasure for a few seconds after she broke away, but was asleep before he could even say anything in return.

Upon seeing her boyfriend finally fall into dreams, she took a quick glance at the blonde, making sure he was asleep, before quickly changing back into her clothes. When she finished, she sat down next to Naruto, and carefully unwrapped the gauze around his arms and legs to see if she could spot more damage since the blood flow had stopped. She realized that it would probably take away for his arm to heal, but his leg would be fine. She would wait until he was awake to check his back for injuries.

Walking to Sasuke, she checked his arm and leg as well. She couldn't see the full extent of the damage on his leg, so it was still unknown to her whether he'd be able to walk or not. His arm wasn't as bad. She figured he'd might be a little sore, but otherwise it'd be okay. She was also going to wait on his torso until he was awake.

_So far, it seems like Naruto has suffered worse damage. I'll watch him more closely._ She thought to herself, sitting down to take a break. Sighing softly, she took note of Naruto's arm beginning to leak a small amount of blood. She sprayed more disinfectant spray on it, and wrapped it up more tightly so the blood flow would ease.

She allowed herself to fall back into the blankets next to Sasuke so she could take her own break. She was tired and a little shaky from the horrifying events that took place. It was only about midday, and both of her teammates were hurt. She silently thanked the heavens that she hadn't been severely injured.

Just as she closed her eyes to rest awhile, a soft moan escaped through Naruto's parted, dry lips. Her sea foam eyes were now opened once again, glancing over at the blonde.

She sat up and cautiously leaned over Sasuke, being careful not to get too close or fall on him, and put one gentle hand over Naruto's sweaty forehead.

_Great… He's starting to burn up._ She thought. _What am I going to do?_ She thought. She grabbed a rag and quickly ran to the ocean, dipping the rag in and wringing it out. When she placed it back on Naruto's forehead, his eyes opened to slits.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. You've got a fever and I'm trying to keep it down."

"It's… Alright." He whispered, closing his eyes again.

_Like Sasuke… asleep so fast._ She thought. _Well… there's nothing more I can do but wait until the fever breaks, and they're both awake._

It didn't take long. Naruto had woken up a couple of hours later. Sakura checked over his wounds while Sasuke was sleeping, carefully examining his back. It had stopped bleeding seemingly recently. There was a fairly large bruise, but to Sakura's relief, his life was in no danger, and there was no broken bones from what she could tell.

It took about three hours since Sakura had brought the boys into the shelter before Sasuke woke up. Sakura guessed it took so long due to his exhaustion, and not injuries. When she unwrapped the medical tape around his torso, she realized she was right. All of his injuries were healing well, and he was far from dying.

Sakura glanced at Naruto, who had ran outside into the sand, thankfully without limping, before whispering in Sasuke's ear.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. "I mean, mentally?"

He sighed heavily. "I'm fine. Just a bit shaky and tired."

Sakura nodded. "No hypnosis for this then?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. If you're doing any hypnosis on me, it'll be for something else."

"Okay." Sakura let the conversation drop. She looked up into the sky, seeing clouds through the opening in the ceiling.

_The time seems to go by here as slowly as the clouds…_

Upon seeing Sakura lost in thought, Sasuke pulled her close to his body, embracing her warmly and kissing her on the forehead. She smiled softly and sat in his arms, feeling grateful for the kindness he was giving her.

She sighed softly before speaking.

"_At least if I die here… I'll die with you… and that's all I could ever want…"_

**Done!**

**I liked this chapter… finally some intense action, neh?**

**So, thanks again for reading. This one is pretty long for all of you desperate readers! :)**

**Remember to KEEP SENDING ME IDEAS! To all of you who give me ideas, I give you COOKIES, EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, BIG HUGS, and A GIANT THANK YOU! ^-^ even though I didn't use any this chapter… I still NEED them! **

**Please send me ideas and remember to also KEEP REVIEWING! Did you see how fast this chapter came out? (Compared to the usual late chapters?) It's because of all the REVIEWS! :D Thanks guys!**

**Well, see you later! :) Until next time!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	16. A Soothing Song

**Chapter 16: Sasuke's Lullaby**

**Sooooooo… I had two ideas for this chapter… and I couldn't decide which ones I liked better, so I COMBINED them! Thanks to S3condNatur3, and Dueling Southerner for your ideas on this chapter!**

**Oh and I forgot to mention… everybody seems to think Sasuke was hurt in the last chapter. He's barely hurt. He's in a better condition than Naruto is right now. Sorry if that was confusing. :P My apologies…**

**Anyways… Enjoy! :D**

**And just for the heck of it… I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!**

**And remember the email: fanfic . SasukeUchihasGuardian (at) gmail (dot) com**

**Now… On with the story.**

_Previous:_

She sighed softly before speaking.

"_At least if I die here… I'll die with you… and that's all I could ever want…"_

_Story:_

Soon after Sakura had dozed off in Sasuke's arms, he found himself slipping away himself. He had almost completely entered the dream world when Naruto came in. "Sasuke, Sakura!" He called, obviously unaware of Sakura and Sasuke's sleeping state. The sigh Sasuke released was long, heavy with sleep. Upon being pulled back in full consciousness, his body now fully registered the intense exhaustion. He opened his eyes just enough to attempt a glare at his blonde teammate, but the effort was futile, as sleep had just begun tugging at him. He heard Sakura suck in a deep breath, but she didn't rouse from her dreams.

"What do you want, idiot? We're trying to sleep." Sasuke muttered, his eyes halfway opened now, giving his teammate a heavy stare.

"Look at the clouds. It looks like they will be a bad storm later. Will we be okay with these wounds?" His eyes flashed worry, but it was quickly concealed with curiosity.

Sasuke glanced up momentarily at the sky in the ceiling sky light, noticing the dull, thick gray layers of clouds. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yea… Looks like a storm. Not good." He looked at Naruto. "Gather the supplies in a pile. It looks like it's going to be bad. If we need to flee the shelter, we can grab it quickly."

Naruto nodded, following Sasuke's commands and getting the medical supplies, food, water, and other things. Sasuke got up carefully without waking Sakura, helping Naruto get everything by the doorway.

"The wind is bad. It's already pretty strong out there. Strong enough to possibly even knock down some of the small or weak trees." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, and he stepped outside of the shelter. It took only a few seconds before he felt the wind. It was already powerful enough to sway him, and nearly knock him on his side. He got back inside quickly.

"This is bad." He whispered, walking over to Sakura. He gently shook her awake. She immediately saw the concern in her boyfriend's eyes, and she was up in an instant.

"Sasuke?" She spoke carefully.

"There's going to be a bad storm. We need to expect the unexpected. The wind is already at a high speed, so if it gets any worse, we may need to flee the shelter." She nodded.

"I'll step outside to check it out myself. You and Naruto change back into your clothes." She said loud enough for Naruto to hear. Both boys nodded, and she stepped outside, away from the two, instantly feeling the sudden wind nearly knock her to her feet as well.

Inside the shelter, Naruto and Sasuke had each went to opposite ends of the shelter, facing away from each other as they quickly dressed back into their normal clothing. Then Naruto called for Sakura to come back inside.

By the time she came in, rain started pelting the shelter. Naruto and Sasuke had to act quickly, putting the tarp over the ceiling so it wouldn't get the inside of the shelter wet.

They came inside again, already completely drenched from the two minutes they had been outside. All three of them sat by the entrance as the first crack of thunder sounded.

The storm immediately flared up without warning. Lightning severed the clouds. Winds sliced the air. Rain pelted the shelter. The team sat in fear at the door, when they heard the wood begin to creak. Each genin grabbed their supplies. Naruto grabbed the food, Sakura grabbed the water, and Sasuke grabbed the medical supplies.

"Let's go! We have to get out of here!" Naruto suddenly shouted. Without warning, he immediately dashed out of the shelter, towards the forest.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, whipping her head towards Sasuke's direction. "He's still hurt! We have to go after him!"

"Moron! He's left us no choice." He hissed, seething in anger, charging after his teammate, Sakura at his heels.

As they chased Naruto, who was only a few feet away, Sakura noticed Sasuke's speed slowly decreasing.

_He's still exhausted!_ Sakura realized.

"Sasuke!" She had to shout his name for it to be heard through the high winds and the unforgiving rain.

"I'm fine." He panted. "Go ahead of me."

Sakura nodded and took the lead, trying to reach her blonde teammate. When she did, she immediately shouted out to him.

"Naruto! Where are you going?"

"We need to find a safe location from the storm!" He shouted back, picking up the pace.

"Don't speed up! Sasuke's tired!" She called. As she said that, she felt the ground began to tremble underneath her feet. She and Naruto immediately came to an abrupt stop.

Next thing they knew, the ground disappeared from underneath their feet.

Naruto and Sakura screamed in terror as they started slipping farther and farther underneath the surface.

"Naruto! Sakura!" Sasuke's panicked voice sounded through the rain.

Sakura tried to answer, cutting off her ear splitting scream, but she and her blonde teammate were smashed against the cold ground, everything from tiny pebbles to rocks crushing their bodies.

"No Naruto! Sakura!" Sasuke screamed, staring down from the edge. He immediately jumped into the massive hole without thinking. He landed on a giant rock that was close to where Sakura had been crushed.

"Sakura!" He called, desperate for an answer. When he didn't get a response, he began attempting to move the heavy rocks crushing his girlfriend against the earth.

As he used all of his strength pushing the boulder aside, the rocks around the edges began to crumble, some of them falling into the pit as well. Sasuke did well dodging the dangerous, heavier rocks, however, he got pelted with not only rain, but shuriken sized rocks. As he dodged, one particular rock plummeted down behind him unseen, colliding into the back of his head. Darkness consumed him immediately.

Sasuke let out a cry of pain as his consciousness slowly returned to him. Dizzily, he sat up and looked around, his vision blurry and unfocused. His head spinning wildly, he lied back down and pressed his cheek against the cool stone, which felt refreshing on his skin, which burned as it basked in the blazing sun.

Suddenly, the memories returned, burning terrifying images into Sasuke's mind.

"Sakura! Naruto!" His eyes flashed open, and he bolted up, adrenaline coursing through his body, the throbbing in his skull dulling down to a soft tremor. He once again tried to move the rock crushing his girlfriend underneath. How long had he been unconscious for? It must've been a long time if the storm was over and the sun was just beginning to set over the horizon. Was it the next day already? Sasuke feared his teammates were already dead. He knew he had to get them out quickly.

He began focusing chakra in his palm, and lightning sizzled to life in his hand. "Chidori!" He screamed, thrusting his hand into the rock.

A cloud of dust rose into the air, and little tiny pebbles flew in all different directions. When the haze cleared, Sasuke found the feeble body of his teammate.

"Sakura!" He screamed, dashing over to her. He carefully slid his arms underneath her head and back, lifting her upper body slightly.

"Sakura! Sakura! Open your eyes, Sakura!" He cried desperately. When she didn't answer, Sasuke slammed an ear to her chest and put two fingers on her wrist, checking for a pulse and listening to her heartbeat. When he felt the throbbing in both places, he relaxed slightly.

He began checking Sakura over carefully, looking at the full extent of her wounds. She had a gash on both arms that were bleeding pretty heavily, along with one on her leg. Sasuke gently put her down, running over to another rock and using Chidori.

He found Naruto lying on his stomach, blood running down the side of his head. When he checked over the blonde, he found another wound on his left arm and leg.

Looking up at the sky again, he cursed silently. He couldn't just stay and heal, but he couldn't bring them back one at a time.

Carefully, he heaved Naruto up onto his back. He felt the blonde's soft breath against his ear as he let out a soft moan. Sasuke then walked over to Sakura and lifted her slender body into his arms. He then took all of the bags and water, leaving the food behind, and put the straps over his shoulders. With difficulty, he jumped out of the hole, landing on his feet in a safe area outside of the earthquake scene.

Sasuke began running back, and when he reached the outside of the forest. He realized that the shelter hadn't fallen in the storm. It was still in one piece. Sasuke sighed in relief, slowly walking inside, and dropping the bags to the side. Since everyone's clothes were dry already, he didn't have to worry when he lied them down on the makeshift bed, wrapping up their wounds with medical gauze. He covered the two with the blanket and waited.

By the time he had finished, the moon had cast its shadows over the island. Sasuke took off the tarp over the skylight. The team was now exposed under the starlit sky. Sasuke began to feel drowsy as he watched his unconscious teammates heal. He shook his head vigorously to stay awake, but it was futile. He felt his eyelids sagging over his eyes, growing heavier and heavier every time he blinked. His head felt too heavy to shake anymore.

_Can't… fall… asleep._ He thought, forcing his eyes open again. He stayed awake and half alert for another ten minutes, before exhaustion crept up on him again. Darkness snuck up on him without warning, pulling him into the black abyss of sleep.

Sasuke woke up two hours later, barely feeling any better. Upon realizing he had fallen asleep, he quickly checked on his teammates again. Nothing had changed. They were still in the same position. No movement. No consciousness. Sasuke sighed, looking up into the sky; he spaced out and began getting lost in thought for the next hour and a half. The only thing that had snapped him back into reality was when Sakura sucked in a deep breath, before returning back to normal.

Sasuke stared at his teammates with drowsy eyes. Staying awake was becoming quite a chore, but yet he continued to fight it against his will. He had no reason. They wouldn't be ambushed. They would both live. And yet, he found such an overwhelming desire to stay awake building within his body.

_Stay awake…_

The night passed slowly. Sasuke wasn't sure how he managed to stay awake throughout the night. He wasn't even sure how many times he had dozed off. It could've been anywhere from zero times, to countless times. All he knew was, by the time the sun peaked its rays through the sky, his eyes were bloodshot and drooping. He was truly exhausted, and yet he continued to watch over his teammates.

About half an hour later, Sakura finally began to stir. She let out a small gasp of pain as the wounds stung her. But when she realized she was bandaged, she figured one of her teammates had healed her. But Naruto was injured too, so where was…

_Sasuke!_ Sakura's eyes snapped open._ Where is he? Is he alright?_

"Sakura?" She turned her head in the direction of the voice, but as she found the person who had said her name, her jaw dropped open.

"Sasuke… you look _horrible_." She whispered.

"I'm fine." He snapped back. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

Sakura nodded. "Did you happen to grab the medicine bags?" Sasuke stood up and brought her the medical supplies.

"Thanks." She nodded, digging through them and taking out some pills. When Sasuke gave her a curious look, she simply said, "They'll help with the pain."

He nodded, taking two from the bottle, and giving them to Naruto, who swallowed them. After he swallowed them, his azure eyes opened.

"Sasuke? What… happened to-" He was cut off by Sakura.

"Sasuke, you really need to rest." She urged the Uchiha.

"No." He said. "You guys are hurt." He carefully traced the outline of the scars on both of her arms, being cautious not to cause her more pain.

"You don't need to watch over us like this. Come on. We'll be fine." Sasuke shook his head. Sakura moved to rub Sasuke's back, but she stopped her movement and let out a little gasp of pain as her arm started throbbing. Her body trembled slightly. The Uchiha looked back at her with a look as if proving his word.

The two stared at each other for a good seven seconds before Naruto broke the silence.

"Augh… I feel like crap. Why does my head hurt so bad right now? I feel like I got smacked in the head with metal or something." He complained. "And what's with my arm and leg? Did the rocks really crush me that bad?" Sakura and Sasuke broke away from the stare, ignoring Naruto's pointless rambling.

"Sasuke… sleep. Come on." Sakura whispered.

"No. You guys need the sleep. Not me." Sasuke growled back. His body immediately protested his words, and he yawned against his will.

"You're obviously sleepy, Sasuke. Why don't you just give in and sleep?" She asked.

Sasuke shook his head, still. He wasn't going to give in.

"Sasuke, neither Naruto or I will rest until you sleep." She said, making her voice deeper to sound more serious. Sasuke sighed, finally giving up. He knew Sakura and Naruto were in no shape to be awake and up at the moment. And if he didn't sleep, they wouldn't. That would cause problems.

Grumbling, he lied down next to Sakura and closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Despite the overwhelming lust for sleep, it never came to him.

He spent a good twenty minutes trying, until Sakura finally spoke up.

"You're not asleep, Sasuke. You're so tired, how can you not be sleeping right now? Naruto's already passed out." She asked.

"I wish I knew." He growled. "I'm getting ticked off." Sakura's eyes softened. She lied down in a comfortable position next to him, pulling him close to her. Sasuke buried his face into her chest.

"Close your eyes, Sasuke." She whispered. "You'll drift off eventually."

Sasuke obliged, his eyes becoming lidded as he listened to Sakura's voice. She began humming a soft lullaby that at first Sasuke didn't recognize. Suddenly, he gasped in realization.

"Sakura… how did you know..?"

"My mom was friends with yours when we were both babies. Apparently, your mom knew me when I was a newborn, and my mom knew you when you were a baby, too. After the… tragedy of your family, I was crying. I felt so bad for you. You were my crush after all, and I thought you had died. Apparently, so did my mother. That night, she sang me this song, and when I asked her what it was called, she told me in a soft, sweet voice…" She paused, and Sasuke listened carefully.

"_Sasuke's lullaby_" Upon hearing the name, a small smile came to his lips.

"When she died, I thought I'd never hear that song again. I thought it had disappeared with the ashes of her body..."

"Shh…" She whispered softly.

Sasuke grew silent, finding comfort in her soft humming. She then began to whisper the lyrics.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_Let me sing good night_

_Thought the day is fading_

_New one will be waiting_

_You must sleep now darling_

_Everything's alright"_

Sasuke snuggled into her chest more, being lulled by the words, which rolled off of her tongue so perfectly, Sasuke thought he was already in a dream.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_As the nighttime falls_

_Through the dreams you're sailing_

_Facing shadows bravely_

_Keeping every moment_

_In your heart and soul"_

Sasuke slowly began drifting off, becoming lost in the words he had missed so much. Hearing the lullaby made flashbacks of his childhood come back to him, but they eased away as the world of dreams slowly tugged at him.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_As I watch you sleep_

_I remember dreaming_

_How I'll have you with me…"_

Seeing Sasuke's expression soften brought a small smile to Sakura's lips. She pulled him closer to her chest, where he snuggled into her more, burying the bridge of his nose in the crook of her neck.

"_Now you're here, darling_

_And my world's complete…"_

Sasuke finally drifted off into dreams. His lips parted slightly as he let out a soft sigh. Sakura smiled and gently brushed through Sasuke's hair, making him nuzzle into her more. She smiled softly.

"I guess that worked, huh Sasuke?" She laughed quietly.

"A lullaby was the last thing I would've guessed worked on Sasuke." Naruto said softly.

"I didn't know you were awake." Sakura whispered.

"I'm going back to sleep." He mumbled, lying down again. Sakura followed him, closing her eyes.

The medication she took made the pain ebb away, so she was able to snuggle up with Sasuke without difficulty. As she began to drift off, she realized that she was acting more of Sasuke's mother than his teammate.

But she didn't mind.

After all, she wanted to do anything to protect him. Whether physically or mentally, it didn't matter to her. But she was the weak one right now. She was injured and needed protection. But she couldn't care less about the turning tables.

**Done! :D**

**I do not own the lullaby! Thanks for reading everybody! I don't have much to say for this ending note… :P**

**Thank you Dueling Southerner for the idea of the storm**

**Thank you S3condNatur3 for the idea of Naruto and Sakura getting trapped underground and Sasuke's actions afterwards**

**See ya later! Reviews and ideas are both appreciated!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	17. Human Contact

Paranoia at Silent Island

Chapter 17: Human Contact

**Sorry it's been awhile… I've been busy (not) xD**

**Just want to tell you, this story is coming to end soon. Thank you to all of the people who have stayed with me since chapter 1!**

_Previous:_

_After all, she wanted to do anything to protect him. Whether physically or mentally, it didn't matter to her. But she was the weak one right now. She was injured and needed protection. But she couldn't care less about the turning tables._

_Story:_

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura mostly slept the day away, occasionally waking up, but going back to sleep soon enough. They ended up staying another whole night in the tree roots. In the morning, however, they went back to the shelter.

"I'm surprised the shelter is still in one piece." Sakura sighed as she walked in, dropping the medicine bags down. Sasuke set the water down, and looked at Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto. Go get the food. It's at the same place where the ground collapsed. Naruto growled.

"I am not your slave, Sasuke! You go get it!" He yelled.

"Naruto, just shut up and do what he says." Sakura sighed. "We've gotta eat…" She sat down on the bed and leaned against the wall.

Naruto slumped. "Fine…" He mumbled, getting up and dashing out of the shelter.

Sasuke sighed. "Well… that takes care of him for awhile."

"Yea." Sakura giggled. "What do you wanna do while he's gone?" She asked. Sasuke looked thoughtful for a second.

"I have an idea…" He laughed, kissing her lips softly. Sakura blushed, turning a bright red.

"Come on, Sasuke! I wasn't expecting that!" She laughed. He smiled and pulled her close to him.

"By the way, Sasuke. Thanks for taking care of us when the ground collapsed." She whispered to him, leaning close to him so she could hear his heartbeat. Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"What I'm here for." He laughed, pecking her on the cheek. Sakura just giggled and continued listening to the pound of his heartbeat.

Ten minutes went by in silence before Naruto finally returned.

"Took me forever to get these dang things here." He growled as he dropped the fruits onto the ground. He picked up an apple and took a giant bite out of it. "I'm getting tired of fruits. Maaah, I want fish!" He complained.

Sasuke nodded. "It would be a good idea to eat fish. We can't just live on fruit." He took a kunai out of his weapon pouch. "So I'll go get some."

Sakura watched him leave, and then turned her head to face Naruto. "Let's start a fire to cook them right away. Naruto, can you go get some sticks?" He nodded and walked out of the shelter again, coming back a few minutes later with some sticks.

"Thanks, Naruto." Sakura whispered. She started the fire, just as Sasuke can running in, panting and sweating as if he just ran for miles.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura asked, a little worried about why he was so worried.

"There's a boat! And it's heading this way!" He said, his voice high. "Let's go!" He ran towards the ocean, followed by Naruto and Sakura.

Out in the distance, was a large boat, sailing right towards the island. It was coming at a face pace too.

"Hey! Hey!" The team screamed, all of them throwing their arms up in the air. "HELP!" Naruto got excited. "They're coming to rescue us! We're going home!" Naruto screamed in joy.

As they got closer, even Sasuke began to laugh. "We're gonna be rescued!" Sakura yelled. They kept screaming towards the people until they got really close, then Naruto froze.

"Hey guys, I don't think they're going to rescue us…" Naruto whispered. Little purple balls suddenly went flying off of the ship, blasting all around the team. The team gasped as poison smoke floated around them.

"No! It's poison smoke! Naruto! Sakura! Get out of here!" Sasuke screamed, as they were all engulfed completely in smoke. They could hear more explosions going off around them. They didn't want them to escape. One bomb exploded right in front of Sasuke's foot, making him gasp and suck in a huge amount of poisonous smoke. The burned in his lungs, making him fall to the ground, screaming in pain. It only made him inhale more. He could feel his body starting to shut down. One of his teammates must've tripped over him, because he felt feet kick him in the side, and a loud gasp as they hit the ground. Sand kicked up in his face, and then he heard the sound of choking. "Sasuke! Naruto!" He heard Sakura yell to them.

"S…Sak…'ra… G't…. o-o-out… h're…" Sasuke managed to choke out. Sakura nodded shakily, before dashing off. She found her way out of the smoke, and dashed into the forest, running as far away as she could without losing her path back. She prayed they wouldn't be able to trail her by the tears spots dampening the earth behind her.

**Naruto and Sasuke:**

Naruto and Sasuke both coughed and choked, their lungs begging for air they couldn't get. They felt as if they couldn't breathe at all, like nothing was going through their lungs. They felt faint, as if they were about to pass out from lack of oxygen. Both of the boys were sweating badly, struggling to get up, but the poison left them paralyzed.

"Hmm… what do we have here?" A deep, gruff voice sneered. "Looks like a couple of brats from the Hidden Leaf Village decided to come take our island." Naruto and Sasuke began sucking in deep breaths as the poisonous smoke finally cleared away. Sasuke opened his eyes, but they were watering from the poison in his system. He heard more footsteps coming towards them.

"Hey guys, looks like some Leaf Village genin wound up on our island. Let's get them to our base, along with all of the stuff we took." Someone kicked Sasuke, forcing him onto his back. He let out a cry of pain; the kick hurt considering his whole body was already in sheer agony because of the poison. He felt hands begin grabbing for him and moving him around, and he started struggling feebly, but it was no use. Strong wire was wrapped around his arms as well as Naruto's, pinning their arms behind him, and then tying their wrists together. They couldn't weave any hand signs, nor escape from them anymore.

Naruto tried to communicate to Sasuke in his rough state. "Sa-Sa-S…u-uke…" He choked out. Sasuke's lungs were burning too badly to do anything at the moment. He couldn't speak or move any longer. He found the strength to barely open his eyes.

He saw some people coming off of the ship on horses, and a tall, thin man with black hair and piercing red eyes standing over him. He looked at Naruto, and saw he was unconscious, and being lifted onto a horse. He tried to move and cry out again, but all that came out was a worthless moan and a gentle kick. The man snickered.

"I wouldn't try to move too much. The more you squirm, the worse that poison's gonna feel in your system. It'll also drain all of your chakra, so you won't be able to move. Ninja's with their hands bound and without any chakra are useless." Sasuke felt strong, muscular hands pick him up, and he began kicking feebly again.

"N-n-no…" He whispered, his voice hoarse.

"I forgot talking will make it worse too. You might as well pass out. I know you're holding back from it, cause the poison will do that to you until it fully leaves your system." Sasuke knew it was only a matter of time before the darkness would consume him, but he had to stay awake as long as possible. He heard the man snicker, and he felt his body hit something rough, before he succumbed to the blackness.

**Sakura:**

Sakura followed a dirt path along the side of it, hidden in the bushes. She ran as far as her feet could take her, before collapsing onto the ground, panting. She was unable to go on any further. She rested on the ground, catching her breath. She gasped when she heard footsteps. She peered up from the bushes and saw the group walking on both foot and horse right passed her. She gasped silently when she saw Naruto and Sasuke bound on the back of the horse. She could see Naruto was unconscious, but Sasuke was awake, his eyes half opened looking around blurrily. He was most likely trying to trace his way back. He glanced up and happened to see Sakura hiding in the bushes. He looked at her, his eyes slightly widening. He began trying to kick off. The man riding the horse turned around and saw him moving and slapped him in the back with a sharp piece of metal.

"Shut up and stop moving." He growled at Sasuke. He froze and watched Sakura as she began to get farther and farther away from view. When the enemies couldn't see her, she waved silently to him, with a promise of finding him. She watched until she couldn't see him anymore, and then silently began following their trail.

_I will find you!_ She promised to the two of them. She kept trailing behind them, until she stumbled across a large waterfall.

_A waterfall? Where'd they go? How were they able to cross this? The trail stops here!_ She panicked and looked around.

_Maybe they took a different path…_ She thought, as she turned around and dashed off into another direction.

**Naruto and Sasuke:**

Sasuke let his eyes close, finding it hard to fight to keep them open. He ended up succumbing to sleep for awhile, but he awoke when he heard the sound of rushing water. He opened his eyes slowly, and noticed a giant waterfall towering over them. His eyes widened in realization.

_This is where we found the bones! When Naruto and I were lost!_ He realized. The men walked up the hidden trail and into the cave. Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, trying to recall the way back from there.

"Looks like someone's been in our hideout. Our map is gone, and the fire looks like it hasn't been too long since it was last used. Was it you guys?" Sasuke felt piercing red eyes glaring at him through the darkness, so he didn't answer the man's question in fear of getting attacked.

"Hn. So it was you guys, I see." He snickered, taking Sasuke's silence as a yes. He shoved Sasuke roughly off the horse, followed by Naruto. The man grabbed the Uchiha's hands and twisted them painfully, making him cry out in pain.

"Hm. There's gonna be a storm tonight. I think you should sit outside during the whole thing. You and that little blonde haired idiot." He laughed. He tied Naruto and Sasuke's hands each with separate ropes, then shoved them roughly out of the cave so they were exposed to the sky. Sasuke prodded Naruto, trying to get him to wake up, but it was no use.

"Storm's gonna start any second. Have fun." He laughed as he walked back into the cave with the others.

"Naruto, wake up! Wake up!" Sasuke hissed, doing whatever he could to wake up his teammate. Naruto groaned.

"S-Sasuke? What… happened?" He whispered groggily, shivering slightly from the cold.

"We were kidnapped, remember? They took us to the waterfall we stayed at when we were lost, and they're leaving us out in the storm." He growled as he felt a raindrop hit his head. "Great… the storm is already starting."

"I hope Sakura is okay…" Naruto mumbled. Sasuke felt a pang of sadness at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"Yea…" He agreed quietly. He felt the rain begin to pelt him even more, and he sighed. "Looks like it's going to be a rough night." He whispered. Naruto nodded and leaned in close to him, trying to keep heat in. The two fought the urge to shiver and waited desperately for Sakura to find them.

~*~  
The day and night passed by slowly. The whole time it rained constantly. Naruto and Sasuke shivered and coughed and sneezed and prayed that they would make it. They both knew they'd get sick from staying out in the cold so much, but they prayed it wouldn't be too bad. Both of them faded in and out of consciousness many times, each silently wondering if they'd wake up again. Staying alive seemed so difficult for them, and death seemed so welcoming.

"Naruto… stay awake…" Sasuke remembered whispering that night. He knew Naruto was just about at his breaking point.

"Sasuke…" He had murmured back. "It's cold… so cold… just want… to end it…" He whimpered. Sasuke put an arm around Naruto's back and pulled him close.

"I know… believe me… I'm in shorts… and a t-shirt…" He laughed quietly. "It's hard… right now… but remember… rain always goes away…" He coughed roughly into Naruto's jacket. The blonde's eyes widened slightly, and he too wrapped his arms around Sasuke. They were both pressed together as tightly as possible.

"Let's both get through this… Sasuke…" He whispered back. Sasuke nodded with a small smile, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, his teammates following just seconds behind.

By the time morning had came, they were a couple of feet away from each other, lying unmoving on the ground. One of the men walked over to the two teammates and nudged Sasuke with his foot. Sasuke let out a tiny whimper but didn't move.

"Hey boss, I think they're dead." He called.

"Let me see." A familiar voice echoed out, walking into the rain. He studied the two for awhile, before lifting Naruto up.

"Get them into the cave. We can't allow them to die too quickly." He snickered. Sasuke coughed hoarsely as the henchman picked him up.

"L't…go…" He muttered.

"Sorry, leaflet, but us Sound Ninja aren't going to let you get away that easily." He told him. Sasuke let out another rough cough and shivered. He felt a warm hand on his forehead.

"Boss, he's got a fever. This one might not make it." He heard the man yell. The Sound Ninja leader shrugged.

"If he lives, he lives. If he dies, we've still got one more." He whispered. Sasuke felt himself being lowered gently to the ground, then a burst of warmth against his skin.

_Fire…_ He thought, happy to feel something warm against him. He coughed roughly, and then settled on the ground. He felt Naruto brush against him, and he smiled softly.

_The rain always goes away…_ He recalled, as he sank into a warmer sleep.

**Sakura:**

Sakura realized where she had went was a dead end, and that the only possible way was through the waterfall. She had settled under a large tree for the night, her dreams consisting of rescuing Naruto and Sasuke from the people she had recognized as Sound Ninja.

When morning came, she came back to the waterfall, looking around quickly.

"Now where could they have gone?" She whispered, glancing back and forth.

**Naruto and Sasuke:**

Naruto woke up groggily. "S-Sasuke…" He whispered, prodding the Uchiha lightly. When he didn't wake, Naruto sighed and paid attention to the warmth beating against his skin. He felt hands suddenly grab him and he gasped.

"You guys are going back outside." The man growled, picking him up. Someone else picked Sasuke up, and they were both carried back outside into the rain. Naruto shivered violently as the rain pelted his skin again. He coughed roughly again, and then he heard Sasuke moan.

"S-Sasuke…" He whispered as he was set of the ground. "W-wake up…" Sasuke coughed roughly, and opened his eyes slowly.

"Na-Naruto?" He whispered softly, looking around. Naruto sighed. "Back… in the… rain…" He whispered.

Sasuke grunted. "Dang it…" He coughed roughly. The two sat shivering next to each other for seemingly hours until thunder made Naruto jump.

"D-dang… it…" He muttered, trembling more violently. Sasuke laid his head down on the cool, wet rock.

"I want… this… to end…" He whispered. Naruto only nodded to him, wishing for the same thing.

**Sakura:**

Sakura glanced around in the rain. _Gosh it's hard to see in this rain!_ She thought. She suddenly caught a glimpse of blue and orange by the waterfall.

_Is that..? _She gasped. _It's them!_ She ran towards the waterfall, and then stopped dead in her tracks.

_There's a cave behind the waterfall! That's where the people are staying!_ Sakura growled, and then slowly ran to the water. She used her chakra to run across it silently, and then she ran up the path.

She stopped in front of the two, whimpering in the rain. She bent down next to Naruto and shook him gently.

"Naruto?" She whispered softly.

"_S…S…Sa-k'ra…" _He murmured, finding it difficult to speak. Sakura's heart jumped into her throat when she heard his broken voice.

"Hold on." She whispered to him. She bent down next to Sasuke and nudged him, but he didn't move. He merely whimpered a little and squeezed his eyes shut tighter, an uncomfortable look plastered on his face. Sakura shushed him and felt his forehead.

"You're burning up… you've got quite the fever." She whispered. She looked back at Naruto.

"Listen, I'm going to get you guys out of here." She promised, nodding.

"No you're not!" A rough voice made her jump. She whipped her head around the see the Sound Village leader glaring at her. "You are going to die, along with these two. I know the perfect way, too." He smirked. Someone suddenly grabbed Sakura from behind, pinning her arms to the side.

"Let me go!" She screamed desperately. She saw two people pick her teammates up, and she struggled desperately. They all lined them up on the edge of the cliff.

"What are you going to do?" She asked him. He snickered.

"You'll see." He suddenly pushed the three off the edge of the cliff, through the waterfall. Sakura grabbed Naruto and Sasuke and screamed as she felt her body plummeting farther and farther down. She hit the water with brute force, and she coughed, feeling a tug against her as the current pulled her farther and farther out. She coughed as she accidently let go of both of her teammates. She swam up to get a breath of fresh air quickly, then swam back underwater and looked for her teammates. She spotted Sasuke a few feet away, his shirt stuck on a little branch. She caught one of his arms, and pulled him close, unhooking his shirt and pulling him above water. She kept his head up as she took another gulp of oxygen. She then scanned the water for Naruto, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Naruto!" She screamed above the water. She wasn't going to give up easily, but she had to find him before lightning struck the water. She dove underwater and finally found him being sucked away by the current. She swam with it until she reached Naruto. She wrapped an arm around him as well and pulled the two to the closest shore right away. She reached the sand and finally got a grip onto the ground, where she pulled herself up and dragged her teammates until they were far enough away from the water.

"Naruto… Sasuke…" She whispered, trying to wake them up. She put a hand on Sasuke's chest, and an ear by his mouth and nose. He was breathing, but barely. He had a lot of fluid in his lungs, and his body was too weak to cough it out. Sakura began giving him CPR, until he began coughing it out of his lungs. She held him in recovery position. After he stopped coughing, she turned to Naruto. She panicked when she realized he wasn't breathing at all.

"No!" She screamed, beginning CPR on him as well.

"Come on! Live! Live!" She screamed when pumping the air out of his lungs with her hands. She breathed more life into him.

"Live!" He coughed roughly, his whole body racking as it tried to get the fluid out. Sakura rolled him into recovery position as well, until he had coughed all of the water out of his lungs. She lied both of them down normally again.

"So you managed to survive?" Sakura gasped as she heard the familiar voice. The Sound Ninja stood walking on water in front of her. He snickered. "And you managed to save both of their worthless lives as well."

Sakura got defensive. "Their lives are not worthless. They mean everything to me." She growled. The man laughed and prepared a kunai. The other five henchmen suddenly appeared next to him.

"Die!" He laughed as he threw the kunai. Sakura dodged and charged at them with weapons. She managed to hit three of them down, leaving two henchmen and the leader left. She quickly killed the three before they could escape, and turned to the ones still standing. She kicked two of the henchmen in the face, stabbing them with a senbon to deliver a final blow.

Hands suddenly wrapped around her, pinning her against the last henchman. She struggled, until the leader walked up to her.

"Now to kill you." He grabbed a kunai, and stabbed her in the stomach roughly. He gasped when her body suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to be replaced by a log.

"Substitution!" He growled. He suddenly felt a kunai pierce through his back and blood spurted from him mouth. He was dead before he sunk into the river. The last henchman gasped and tried to escape, but Sakura knocked him out so he fell into the current, where he'd drown and die as well. She sighed and walked back to Naruto and Sasuke.

"I've got to get you guys to shelter." She whispered. She put an explosive tag into the rock that created the small cliff from ground level to where they were sitting. When the tag exploded, it created a small cavern for them to stay in. Sakura moved them carefully inside, taking off their shirts so the boy's would dry faster. She sat next to them and waited for them to wake up. She carefully checked their vitals every time one of them coughed. She noted silently noted that Sasuke was coughing and shaking more, but Naruto seemed to be more traumatized. She prayed the fox inside of him would heal Naruto pretty fast, but she was worried about Sasuke. Naruto's temperature was slightly high, while Sasuke's was skyrocketing. She did her best to keep the two boys warm, until finally, seemingly hours later, Naruto finally opened his eyes.

"S-Sakura?" He murmured, a little disoriented. "W-where are… the Sound Ninja?" He asked her. Sakura shushed him.

"I took care of them for good. Don't worry." Naruto sat up a little, grimacing in the pain.

"Careful!" Sakura warned him. "You're sick!" Naruto coughed a little.

"I… I know that…" He whispered. He looked at Sasuke. "Never mind that. Is Sasuke okay?" He asked Sakura. She nodded.

"Yep. He's got a fever though. You guys are both in pretty bad condition, but thankfully, you're not dying. I'm more worried about pneumonia setting in to you guys." She looked to the ground, a worried look her in eyes.

Naruto sighed, looking out into the rain. "Don't worry about me. The fox won't let me die from some illness. If I die, it dies as well, so I don't think I'll even get very sick. Maybe just a small cough and chills." He laughed quietly. "So worry about Sasuke, not me."

Sakura nodded shakily, not ready to just ditch her fears for Naruto. She was still going to watch him closely to make sure he would be alright. She looked back at Sasuke as he began having a rough coughing fit again.

"We need to hurry up and get back to our shelter. Now that all of the Sound Village ninja are dead, this rain is going to be even more deadly to us. We're all cold, you two are sick, and we're far away from our shelter…" Naruto nodded to Sakura in agreement.

"Let's wait out the storm, and then we'll head back to the shelter. I'll be able to walk back, but I'm not sure about Sasuke." He whispered. Sakura nodded. "Okay…" She whispered.

~*~  
Time passed slowly. Night mingled with day. Naruto and Sakura were unaware of how long they had been sitting there for. They were tired and hungry, but at the same time, worried for Sasuke. He had woken up only once, but it was nothing more than a soft murmur of inaudible words, before his head rolled to the side limply and he fell back into fevered dreams.

By then, Sakura was extremely worried about the boy's condition. When the storm had finally stopped, she didn't hesitate before picking him up into her arms, pulling him close to try to warm his body. Sakura noticed his lips were beginning to get a bluish tint to them, even though it was only rain, and she knew she had to provide him warmth before the sickness took over.

"Give him my jacket." Naruto shrugged off the jumpsuit top and handed it to Sakura, who draped it over Sasuke's body.

"Let's hurry." She whispered. Naruto nodded and dashed behind her, running passed the pond, over the miniature cliff, and through the woods for ten to fifteen minutes until they finally found the shore. They stayed there for a few seconds to catch their breath until Naruto spotted the shelter.

"Our shelter's still in one piece." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on!" Sakura followed Naruto into the shelter. Thankfully, the tarp kept everything dry inside, so nothing was ruined.

Sasuke's small, weak coughs reminded Sakura he was in her arms, and she carefully laid him down onto the small bed. She covered him up with the blanket, and put his head gently on the pillow. She gave him a gentle kiss on his tinted lips.

"Sleep well…" She whispered softly, before turning and grabbing the medicine back. She dug through it, looking around for anything that could help ease Sasuke's pain or coughing. Maybe there was something to help him focus a little better, since he seemed almost delusional when he was awake.

She found some cold medicine, pain medication, and the medicine she had used to reduce fever. She popped them in Sasuke's mouth, and he swallowed them dry in his sleep. She sighed and looked at Naruto.

"This is gonna be a long day." She moaned.

Hours passed by slowly for Naruto and Sakura. Naruto pretty much sat around and did whatever he could, being checked on every once in awhile by Sakura, who spent her time watching over her two teammates.

Finally, Sasuke's eyes opened.

He groaned, looking around blurrily. He felt gentle fingertips brush the bangs out of his face, and he coughed hoarsely.

"You alright Sasuke?" He heard his girlfriend's calming voice.

"_hurts."_ He whimpered.

"Shh… I know, I know." Sakura placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing it softly. He closed his eyes to the touch before coughing again.

"Go back to sleep, Sasuke." She whispered to him quietly, kissing him on the temple. He sighed softly and leaned into her touch more. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep calmly.

Naruto too, eventually went to bed. He snuggled up next to Sasuke for warmth under the blanket, and soon fell into dreams as well. Sakura was left to care for the two boys throughout the night.

As she took care of them, one thing crossed her mind:

_It's been a month since we got here, and we've seen no one but each other. Now, when we finally see someone, we're forced to kill them. We're completely alone again…_

The thought weighed heavily on her mind that night.

**Done! I hope this chapter was a little more exciting! Btw, I will tell you this is the last time Sasuke will get hurt/sick. (Because the story is ending soon…)**

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	18. Darkest Before Dawn

Chapter 18: Darkest Before Dawn

Paranoia at Silent Island

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been awhile… but I've been kinda busy. And even though my laptop was FINALLY fixed… I'm still having issues with it. =.=' Time to call a professional instead of a family member…**

**Anyways, this is the 2****nd**** to last chapter. That's right. Next chapter is the last chapter. Thank you very much for everybody who's stuck with me through good and bad times until the end! :) You guys rockkkkk!**

**Btw everybody, I know that the sound ninja left a boat there for them. They know that. The team is just so shaken up from the kidnapping that they haven't went to check it out yet.**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

Previous:

_It's been a month since we got here, and we've seen no one but each other. Now, when we finally see someone, we're forced to kill them. We're completely alone again…_

_The thought weighed heavily on her mind that night._

Story:

"Is his fever still rising?" Naruto asked Sakura, placing a hand on Sasuke's forehead. He had hoped the slight chill of the nighttime air would help bring it down, but even though it was morning, his temperature had only risen even more. His temperature had been dangerous enough how it was when they first brought him back in the rain. Now, it was deadly. He hadn't woken up at all since the time Sakura had kissed him goodnight.

"It's only been getting worse." Sakura replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm honestly not sure what it's at. Do you want to grab the thermometer?" She asked him. Naruto nodded and dug into the medicine bag, handing the little stick to Sakura. She nodded a thank you, and slid it into Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto waited patiently until Sakura took it out and examined it carefully.

"Looks like it's… 112 degrees. He's at death's doorstep right now." Sakura sighed. She pulled the covers back and slipped Sasuke's shirt over his head. "Best thing to do is strip him down as much as possible and keep some water in him." She handed Naruto some of the dirty water from the island ground.

"Start a fire with those sticks in the corner over there." She motioned over to them. "Then boil this water." Naruto nodded. He grabbed the water and sat down next to the fire pit. He began rubbing the two sticks together to make a spark.

Sakura sighed. "Watch him for a second. I'm going to go get some salt water on this rag." She grabbed a dry rag and walked out of the shelter towards the ocean. Naruto nodded and watched her leave. He turned to Sasuke.

"Please be okay…" He whispered. "I don't know what I could do without you…" He had to pause to cough into his sleeve. "Sakura's worried too..." He trailed off, his eyes glancing down at the sticks he was trying to create a spark with. He sighed heavily, then rubbed harder.

Sakura walked in a moment later, a damp cloth hanging limply in her hand. She sat down next to Sasuke and placed it over his forehead. He coughed roughly, and turned his head limply, trying to avoid the coldness on his forehead. She held the cloth to the skin, and used her other hand to gently push his head back up.

"I know it's uncomfortable, Sasuke. But we have to keep this fever down." She sighed. "Bear with me." Sasuke just coughed roughly again, his whole body trembling from the harshness. Sakura rubbed his cheek gently. He whimpered in his sleep, and then moaned, his head rolled a little, but the rag stayed put.

Naruto started the fire, and he put the water in a pot, boiling it over the fire. He looked over at Sasuke in worry. "Can he here you, Sakura?" He asked, a little shaken up by the scene.

Sakura shook her head. "With a fever so high, he's extremely delusional. He probably can't hear me, but even if he can, he wouldn't be able to make out what the words are saying or mean." Naruto nodded, sighing. He became even more worried about his teammate.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked. Sakura shook her head.

"We just have to wait for him to get better. If he does." He shook her head sadly. "He most likely won't make it through the night tonight." A tear escaped her eye as she rubbed his cheek gently. "Without any medical attention… he's probably got a 6% chance of pulling through with this. This is his final straw right here."

Naruto pulled her close and hugged her. "It'll be alright." He rubbed circles into her back. She began to sob into his shirt.

"It's been a month Naruto! He could only survive a month! What are we going to do when he's gone? We can't survive on our own!" She cried, the tears pooling from her eyes, creating a large spot on Naruto's jumpsuit.

He hugged her tighter. "Don't worry, Sakura. We'll be alright…" He whispered to her. Sakura hiccupped a little, hugging Naruto back.

"Th-thank you…" She stuttered, pulling away a little. Naruto nodded, but looked at Sasuke when he coughed roughly in his sleep.

"Better check on him." He said, his voice full of concern. Sakura nodded and walked over to her boyfriend, checking on all of his vitals first.

"The fever feels like it's higher." She sighed. "Other than that, his pulse is a little quick, but he's still hanging in there. I'm going to check his temperature. Hopefully this thermometer is accurate." She slid it back into the Uchiha's mouth slowly with a sigh.

Naruto watched with curiosity when Sakura pulled it back out. "113 degrees. It went up by one just in the last hour. That's not a good sign." She sighed. She flipped the cool cloth on his forehead around so the cold side was on his forehead again.

"Is the water done boiling?" She asked. Naruto looked at the boiling water.

"Yep." He told her. He took some off of the fire and set it down, waiting for it to cool off a little bit. Sakura understood what he was doing and turned back to Sasuke. She put an ear to his chest.

"His breathing is hoarse. He probably has pneumonia." She sighed. She ran a list of symptoms through her head.

"If he at all gets chills, or tells us he has chest pain, nausea, weakness, or is vomiting, losing weight, or if he's got a bluish tint to his skin color, then it's safe to say he's got it. In his condition, pneumonia is extremely fatal to him." She told Naruto, rubbing Sasuke's cheek as he coughed.

"Right now, his cough is pretty dry, which is a good thing." She placed her ear on his chest, waiting until he coughed again.

"It's pretty dry, most likely because it just developed. His breathing is getting pretty shallow too. That's a little concerning."

Naruto sighed and brought Sakura the water. "Here" He whispered, looking at Sasuke before sitting back again. Sakura nodded a thank you before pouring it into an empty water bottle. She put it to Sasuke's lips and brought it up slowly, allowing for Sasuke to drink.

"There's nothing we can do now but wait." She sighed. Naruto lied down next to Sasuke, looking up to the sky.

_Where are you, Kakashi-sensei?_ He thought.

Kakashi barged into the Hokage's office without knocking, his face twisted into an angry look.

"Kakashi! You can't just barge into my office without permission!" Tsunade yelled at him.

Kakashi growled. "We need to send another plane out there to search for them. I can't wait any longer!" He yelled back at her.

"Kakashi look! I know you're worried about them, but it's been a month now! Even if they did happen to crash on an island instead of the ocean, there's no way that would've been able to survive all this time!" She lowered her voice. "I'm sorry Kakashi… but we can't spend the money on a worthless air search. We have to face the truth. They're…" She bit her lip. "They're not coming back…"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "You seriously can't believe that. You are the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! You can't just ignore the chance that three Genin may be alive!" He shouted.

"Think of the odds Kakashi! You're students are most likely dead right now! Do you honestly want us to spend money on a worthless search? If anything, all we'll recover are their dead bodies! Do you really want that to happen?" She growled at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Kakashi looked to the ground. "I'd rather see their dead bodies and know that they're dead than sit here knowing they could still be alive!" He screamed in frustration.

Tsunade sighed heavily and sat in silence for an uncomfortable twenty seconds.

"Alright…" She whispered. "We will send a search party for them tomorrow over Silent Island one last time. If we do not find them, we will not ever search for them again. Do you understand?" She asked Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed in relief and nodded his head. "Yes, Lady Hokage. Thank you." He bowed, and began walking out of the room.

_Tomorrow… _He sighed heavily. _I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight._ He chuckled to himself, trying to lighten his mood a little. He had to prepare mentally for the next day.

Sakura put a hand on Sasuke's chest, pressing slightly on it. "He's trembling a little, but he's not cold, so he must have chills. He's also sweating a lot. That pretty much proves it. He's caught pneumonia from being out in the storm." A tear ran down her cheek. "There's no way he's going to make it."

Naruto sighed and took the rag off of Sasuke's forehead. "I'm going to go get some more water on this." He stood up and walked out to the ocean with it. Sakura didn't pay any attention to his actions; she only paid attention to Sasuke. More tears ran down her cheeks as she rested her head on Sasuke's chest.

"I just want you better, Sasuke. I don't care about what else happens." She whispered softly. She kissed Sasuke's cheek gently and slowly.

At that moment, Sasuke's eyes cracked open a little. He looked around with half lidded eyes, unaware of his surroundings.

"Sasuke? You're awake?" Sakura whispered in amazement. She had no idea how he was able to stay conscious with the fever he had. She gripped Sasuke's trembling hand tightly, squeezing so he could feel it. He whimpered slightly, closing his eyes again.

"M-moth…er…" he murmured, clutching to the hand for life. "M-mother… wh…ere… a…re… y-y…ou…"

Sakura brushed the bangs out of his eyes, knowing he was delusional. His whole body was trembling so bad that she wouldn't be able to hold onto him if she was carrying him. She leaned in close to him and shushed him calmly. She began quietly singing his lullaby. She hadn't even gotten to the second verse, before he had quieted down into fevered rest. Sakura kissed his lips gently, before letting go of his hand, brushing through his bangs.

Naruto had walked in while Sakura was singing the lullaby. When Sasuke was asleep, he sat down next to him and put the rag back on his forehead.

"What was that? It was beautiful!" He whispered to her. Sakura smiled sadly. "It's Sasuke's Lullaby. His mom wrote it for him when he was a baby." She rubbed Sasuke's cheek with her hand again.

Naruto nodded. "What a great song." He whispered, laughing quietly. Sakura nodded.

"If he's gonna die… I want him to hear that song one last time…" She sighed. Naruto hugged her. "Don't worry… he'll be okay." He whispered encouragingly. She nodded into his shirt.

"I hope so…"

**End.**

**Sorry this chapter ended a bit quickly, and it was short. The next chapter will be the final! :) Will Sasuke live or die? Will Kakashi find the team? Will Naruto and Sakura be stranded forever? Find out next on Sonic X!**

…**oops. Wrong TV series. xD Find out next on Paranoia at Silent Island! (CHEEEZZZYYYY!)**

**PLEASE review! The end is coming! I need as many reviews as possible! :)**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	19. Sasuke's Lullaby

**Paranoia at Silent Island chapter 19: Sasuke's Lullaby**

**Well… this is it. The final chapter of Paranoia at Silent Island. I thank everyone who stuck with this story until the end, through all of the ups and the downs. :) You guys are awesome!**

_Previously:_

"_If he's gonna die… I want him to hear that song one last time…" She sighed. Naruto hugged her. "Don't worry… he'll be okay." He whispered encouragingly. She nodded into his shirt._

"_I hope so…"_

_Story:_

Sakura and Naruto were woken in the middle of the night by Sasuke's violent coughs multiple times. Sakura ended staying awake half of the night taking care of him. She was extremely worried about his condition, which was only worsening as time passed by. She rubbed his cheek softly as he let out a moan. His head turned limply to the side. Sasuke lifted his upper body against her chest. He buried his head into the crook of her neck in his sleep, causing a faint smile to rest on Sakura's lips. She closed her eyes slowly.

"S…Sakura?"

She opened her eyes again, looking down at the only person who could have such a weak, hoarse voice. Sasuke's eyes were half opened, the deep onyx cloaked with pain. She sighed, brushing the bangs out of his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Sasuke?" She asked him, her voice in a gentle tone. He closed his eyes again, not answering her question. She put a hand on his forehead to examine his temperature, but he pulled away.

"Hot…" He whispered weakly, turning his head as best as he could into her neck. She sighed again and removed her hand, resting it on his back so she could rub soothing circles into it. He relaxed deeper, his muscles completely going limp as he was calmed by her.

Sakura sighed. "You should sleep Sasuke. I know you're very scared right now, but your body is at a very dangerous temperature right now. The best thing you can do is to just sleep." She murmured into his ear. Sasuke suddenly got an uncomfortable look on his face as he pulled himself closer to Sakura's face. He whimpered quietly in her ear. Sakura guessed something began to hurt inside of him. She shushed him and began singing his lullaby to him again.

Just as it worked the last two times, Sasuke was asleep quickly in Sakura's arms. She began taking his temperature and checking his vitals again. By the time she had fallen back asleep, the sun had already began to rise.

Naruto awoke early with a yawn. He looked outside and realized how early it was, so he turned back to his teammates. Sure enough, they were both sleeping. He sighed and kneeled down next to Sasuke's shaking form. He put a hand on his forehead, checking for any signs in a lowered fever.

"Feels about the same as last night." He whispered to Sasuke, even though he knew that he was unable to hear it. He sighed softly and looked up into the sky.

"Man… I hope you're going to be okay." He looked back down at Sasuke when coughed again. The coughing ended up waking Sakura. She looked over at Naruto and yawned.

"Good morning." She whispered to him. Naruto was about to whisper a good morning back, when Sasuke began wheezing. Sakura put an ear to his chest, listening to his breathing carefully. After a few moments, she sat up and sighed.

"His breathing is getting shallow." She explained to Naruto, as she readjusted his body a little. "He's having a hard time breathing." Naruto looked him and sighed.

"What are his odds of living through this?" He asked her. Sakura dug through the medicine bag for something to ease his pain.

"If things keep going the way they are… there's no way he'll survive this at all." She told him. Naruto's blood ran cold.

"How long… will he have to live if it doesn't stop?" He asked.

Sakura sighed. "Well… with his temperature so high, and his body reacting the way it is, I'd say he's got less than 24 hours to live."

Naruto felt tears pricking at his eyes. He quickly rubbed them away with his hand. "How did it get this bad?" He asked sadly.

Sakura shook her head. "Well, part of it was the constant trauma his body was getting. Illness is another thing that could've contributed. I mean, he's already had pneumonia here once." She sighed. "But I think the real reason this happened was because of the fact he was out in the storm for the whole entire night without anything to warm himself up. Sasuke's such a healthy person, I'm sure he never bothered to get any vaccinations or anything to prevent sickness. After this happened though, lack of nutrition, too many injuries, and sicknesses impacting his immune system greatly. He's not going to get much better without some serious medical attention."

Naruto looked to the ground. "I… I don't know what to do about this situation." He began to cry. "How can you be so calm? He's your boyfriend!" He exclaimed.

Sakura looked away, closing her eyes. "I don't know, Naruto. Trust me, I'm holding the tears back." She bit her lip, chewing on it until it bled. Naruto looked down at Sasuke's shaking form with blurry eyes.

"Sasuke…" He whispered to himself.

Sakura watched over him for another two hours carefully, but the only news she could give Naruto was that his condition had worsened. He was beginning to throw up constantly, trembling more and more after each time. His skin was beginning to get tinted blue, and he was so delusional, he wouldn't know whether he was awake or asleep. Sakura had noticed when she had momentarily pulled back the blanket that Sasuke was dangerously skinny and pale.

Sakura let a few tears drip from her eyes. She knew at this point that there was no turning back for him. He wasn't going to make it through the pneumonia. She didn't tell Naruto though; she'd wait until it was necessary.

Naruto decided to join Sakura in watching Sasuke within the next hour. Sasuke would open his eyes and cough weakly, but he'd still be unresponsive to Naruto and Sakura's questions. He seemed to realize when they were talking or touching him, but he wouldn't move or say anything back. When Sakura would rub his cheek, he'd sigh softly and close his eyes. If either of them tried to speak, he'd look up at them with pain filled eyes, before closing them again. Even though Sakura didn't say it, Naruto knew it was true.

Sasuke was dying.

It was about three hours later, that Sasuke opened his eyes and coughed. He managed to weakly lift his head up to look at his teammates.

"Saku…ra… Nar…u…to…" He whispered. They both looked down in amazement at their teammate.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered unsurely. She had no idea how he could recognize them in his state of delusion.

He coughed weakly again and closed his eyes. "H…hurts…" He wheezed. Sakura sighed and brushed the hair out of his eyes. She smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know, Sasuke. You just have to rest for now…" She whispered to him. Her lips were quivering, and she had to bite down to keep the tears from flowing. Sasuke just blinked, and stared up hazily at the sky.

Naruto watched in sadness, but suddenly jumped when he heard an unfamiliar sound in the air. He gasped and turned to Sakura.

"Is that..?" He said in disbelief. Sakura nodded and got up, darting outside with Naruto at her heels.

"It's a plane!" Naruto screamed. He created a bunch of shadow clones and made them pile on top of each other, all of them waving their hands back and forth in the air.

"HELP!" Sakura screamed. "Please! Help!"

Naruto gasped when the plane went over their heads. "Did they see us?" He asked. He and Sakura stared at the plane, gasping when it slowly started turning around.

"They saw us! They saw us! We're going home! Home! Home! Home! Home! Home! Sasuke's gonna be fine! We're going home! Yeah!" Naruto screamed in ecstasy. He let all the cheering shadow clones disappear in a puff of smoke. Sakura dropped her hands to her sides and sighed in relief. She laughed happily.

"Sasuke's gonna be fine!" She breathed in relief. As the plane got closer and closer to land, Naruto kept screaming in joy.

"I can't believe it! We're off this island! We're off this island! We're saved! Saved!" They backed up so the small plane could land safely on the sand. When it did, the door opened, and Tsunade and Kakashi ran out of the plane.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura screamed in unison, both charging at him. They tackled him in a hug, both crying tears of happiness. Kakashi put his arms around the two.

"Thank goodness. I was so worried about the three of you." He sighed in relief. As Tsunade stood by the three, Sakura suddenly looked up at her and gasped.

"Lady Tsunade! You need to come heal Sasuke, and quick!" She gasped. Naruto and Sakura signaled them to follow into their shelter. When the four came in, Kakashi gasped at Sasuke's weak condition. Tsunade immediately got down on her knees and removed the blanket, placing her hands on his chest to examine his body. Green chakra began to glow around her fingertips as she read his health.

"Pneumonia, huh?" She said as she began examining further into his body.

Sakura and Naruto nodded, watching her, hoping she could do something to heal Sasuke quickly.

After few minutes, she removed her hands and sighed. "There's nothing I can do." She said sadly, looking at the dying boy in front of her.

Naruto and Sakura gasped. "What? What do you mean you can't? It's only a sickness! You can deal with that, right?" Naruto yelled.

She shook her head. "Normally, I would be able to treat the sickness. The problem is, here on this island, there is no medical equipment. I need some of the stuff at the hospital to be able to treat him quick enough. Without a hospital, I'm afraid the sickness has just overpowered his body. His body too close to death to bring back with a medical jutsu. I was able to take the pain away, but that was all. He's not going to live much longer." Her honey eyes gazed at the two crying genin.

"It can't be true!" Naruto screamed. "IT CAN'T!"

Sakura gripped Sasuke's hand tightly, tears dripping on the pale skin, running down like raindrops. Kakashi looked at Tsunade with sadness.

"Are you sure this is true?" He asked her. She nodded.

"I am 100 percent sure. He is far too weak to avoid death now. Not even a miracle would save this boy."

As the four watched Sasuke, they gasped when he coughed hoarsely, looking up at the four with pale, lifeless eyes. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"Ka…Kaka….shi…?" He choked.

Kakashi felt tears prick his eyes as his dying student said his name. "Yes Sasuke, I'm here." He put his gloved hand on Sasuke's cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner to help you." He whispered.

Sasuke coughed weakly. "S'kay…" He whispered quietly. He looked up at Tsunade. "You… c-can't… heal… me..?" He asked. She shook her head sadly.

"No… I'm sorry, Sasuke." She sighed.

Sasuke nodded and looked back up at his team.

"Naruto… Sakura… I'm… not going… to… live… much longer…" He wheezed as his breath was getting shallower. Sakura began to cry.

"Don't say that, Sasuke! Just hang in there! We'll get you to the hospital if you just keep holding on!" She cried.

He shook his head. "No… I won't make it…" He looked up at her and held his hand up weakly. When she grabbed it, he pulled her down weakly and kissed her on the lips softly.

"Promise me… promise me… even after I…. leave this world… you'll… still… love me…" He choked. "And… even when you love… someone… new… you'll… remember me…" Sakura hugged him tightly.

"Of course Sasuke! How could I ever forget you? You were my crush! My boyfriend! You're everything to me!" She cried into his chest. "Please… please don't go…" She whimpered. Sasuke weakly lifted his hand and stroked her hair with it.

"I have to…" He whispered. "Just… make sure… you take care of… yourself…" He smiled weakly. She nodded, tears dripping down from her face. He looked over at Naruto, who was still crying next to him.

"Naruto… take care of her…" He whispered. Naruto nodded, tears still streaming down his face.

"Of course Sasuke. It's a promise." He sobbed. "I never go back on my word."

Sasuke smiled weakly. "Thanks Naruto…" He sighed in relief. He felt his chest tightening a little, and he began struggling to breathe. He looked over at Kakashi to speak, but the platinum haired sensei shook his head. "No, Sasuke… you don't have to say anything to me. It's okay." He smiled sadly from underneath the mask. A tears ran down from his visible eye.

Sasuke looked up at the sky through the hole in the shelter. "It's my time soon…" He whispered softly. Sakura cried harder.

"Sasuke please… you mean everything to me, you can't go!" She cried, hugging him again. Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura… it's time…" He whispered. "My family is for calling me…" She cried harder, clinging to his frail body desperately.

"I love you… Sakura…" He murmured softly. She wiped a few tears away from her face.

"I love you too, Sasuke." She cried.

He blinked heavily at her. "Sakura… before I drift… I have a favor… to ask…" He coughed weakly.

"What is it Sasuke? I'll do anything!" She said urgently.

He sighed softly. "My lullaby… can you sing it… to me… as I go?" He asked. Her eyes widened a little as she heard his dying request. She nodded a little and let go of her hug, standing up a little straighter. She grabbed his hand softly as she began to sing.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_Let me sing good night_

_Thought the day is fading_

_New one will be waiting_

_You must sleep now darling_

_Everything's alright"_

His dying smile touched his lips as he was soothed by her song. He blinked slowly. "Th-thank you... Sakura…" He whispered, listening to her continue after she nodded back to him.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_As the nighttime falls_

_Through the dreams you're sailing_

_Facing shadows bravely_

_Keeping every moment_

_In your heart and soul"_

Sasuke smiled as he began to feel his body slowing down more and more. He found it hard to stay alive enough to hear the rest of the lullaby.

"_Lullaby my baby_

_As I watch you sleep_

_I remember dreaming_

_How I'll have you with me…"_

He let his eyelids shut slowly as the tiredness grew. He knew it wasn't sleep that was coming, but death. He didn't mind. He was happy death was coming to him so peacefully, with his only family right beside him. He let his mind fade away.

"_Now you're here, darling_

_And my world's complete…"_

His breathing slowed, until they it came to a peaceful stop. His lips curved upwards into a smile as his body became lifeless. More tears escaped from Sakura's eyes as she realized that he was no longer with her.

"Sasuke…" She whispered sadly. She squeezed his lifeless hand harder.

"SASUKE!"

Naruto began crying as well, along with Kakashi and Tsunade. The platinum haired ninja removed the blanket off of Sasuke's body. He looked at the deep scars in the Uchiha's chest that were caused by the first shark attack.

_What did he go through? _He thought, squeezing his eyelids together to try to stop the tears. He watched Sakura lean down next to Sasuke and kiss him on the lips.

"Goodbye Sasuke…" She whispered quietly in his ear. "I hope you have a good time with your family up there."

Kakashi patted Sakura's head, and walked closer to Sasuke. He picked up his underweight, pale body. He sighed and turned to walk outside.

"Come on, you two. Let's bring go home." He said sadly.

"Wait." Sakura said quickly. When Kakashi turned to look at her, she sighed shakily. "Can we bury him here, on the island?" She asked. Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly. He closed it and nodded his head.

"Yes, Sakura. We can." He walked out of the shelter. "Let's go."

Tsunade waited in the shelter, while the team went to go bury the last of the Uchiha clan. Kakashi used an earth style jutsu to dig a grave for Sasuke. Sakura laid him down in the dirt, taking off his headband, and his wristbands. Sakura decided she would keep his shirt, which was back at the shelter. Naruto would keep the headband, and they'd each take one of the wrist warmers. Sakura hugged him, breathing in his beautiful scent one last time.

"Goodbye, Sasuke." She whispered. She stepped out of the dirt and nodded to Kakashi. He looked at the teary-eyed Naruto, who just stared at Sasuke. He used his jutsu again, and in a few seconds, Sasuke's body was slowly buried underneath the dirt. Sakura sighed shakily, watching as Kakashi used his lightning blade and a kunai on a tree to turn it into a wooden grave. He carved Sasuke's name in the wood, then secured it right above the newly upturned dirt.

"Farewell, Sasuke." He whispered. The team stared at the grave in silence for awhile, before finally, Kakashi patted his students on the head, and guided them back to the shelter.

Tsunade had already packed up their stuff onto the plane, and she was standing inside of it already, waiting. "Are you ready?" She asked them.

The team nodded, each of them hopping inside. The motors flared to life, and the mini plane began soaring into the sky.

Naruto and Sakura watched the grave get smaller and smaller, until it was out of sight. Sakura sighed and buried her head into Naruto's chest. He held her tightly, as he watched the island slowly disappear from view. He lowered his head and sighed.

_Goodbye, Sasuke… I'll never forget you…_

**Epilogue:**

Naruto and Sakura laughed as they dashed across the white sand.

"Naruto, look! Our shelter is still there!" Sakura giggled, pointing at the run down wooden structure.

Naruto nodded, smiling. "That's incredible!" He breathed. "I can't believe we lived there for a whole month." Sakura laughed and nodded.

They both stopped in front of a familiar wooden grave. Naruto trailed his fingers across the top. The wood was clearly old, but was still in one piece. The carved letters were still legible.

"I can't believe it's been three years…" Sakura said with a sigh.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yea... It seems like it was just a couple days ago." He laughed quietly. "I still remember every little thing we did. From the shark attacks, to my snake bite, to Sasuke and I getting kidnapped." He laughed.

Sakura smiled a little at the mention of her old boyfriend's name. She put a hand on his grave.

"I remember how hard it was to let go…" She said, lowering her voice a little. "Every night, I would sleep on my bed clutching his shirt. I couldn't sleep without it. I was hypnotized by the smell of the shirt, which smelt just like him." She laughed sadly.

Naruto nodded. "I would stare at his headband for hours before I would finally fall asleep." He admitted. He turned back to the helicopter that Kakashi was flying.

"Well, want to head back?" He asked Sakura. She smiled at him and nodded, dashing back towards the building. Naruto turned back to the wooden grave and smiled at it. His fingers ghosted above it. He laughed quietly.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. We'll meet each other again real soon!"

**-owari-**

**Thank you very, very much to everyone who stuck with this story until the end. You guys truly rock.**

**I wanted to make the end sappy. I apologize if I made you cry. That was my intention though. A sad, unexpected ending is always the best ending in my opinion. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this story.**

**Special thanks to:**

**Sasuke's Pal**

**Akatsukigirl**

**Sasuke's Evil Angel**

**Dueling Southerner**

**Sasusaku4freakerEver**

**You guys kept this story going the most. :) I want to thank you for that.**

**This is the final chapter… please review and tell me how you liked the story! Please please please please PLEASE!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


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